


Voltron as SWAT

by Rivendale



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Curtis - Freeform, Other, RAX, Shay - Freeform, commander iverson - Freeform, slav
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-02-07 13:24:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 75,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18621520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivendale/pseuds/Rivendale
Summary: Modern AU of Voltron as a SWAT team.  There are other characters that make up both SWAT teams from the Voltron Universe.  They are out to stop the drug lord Zarkon from peddling his garbage to the unsuspecting citizens.  Each member has a specific function.  They will become apparent as the story continues.  Shiro finds himself under a lot of stress as a new adversary shows up and begins playing a cat and mouse game.





	1. Chapter 1

Shiro stepped out into the bright warm sunlight that lit up the sky of the four corner states. He slid on a pair of sunglasses to protect his eyes from the glare of the sunlight that rose from the concrete and asphalt around the apartment building.

He turned and waved to Adam who stood in the doorway. Adam couldn't help it when he called out his usual farewell, "Be safe."

"I will," Shiro called back. He strode down the sidewalk toward his car that was parked in the lot.

He scanned the doors of the other apartments as he looked for movement, anything out of the ordinary when he focused on another door opening and out stepped his teammate Keith who fumbled with his keys as he locked the door and then raced down the sidewalk toward Shiro's shiny dark gray car.

Keith saw Adam still in the doorway who waved his way. A half smile pulled at his mouth as he waved back toward the brunette who turned and shut the door to the apartment.

Both climbed into the car and sunk into the seats as Shiro jammed his ignition key into the steering column and turned. The car cranked over and roared to life. "Cutting it a little close there," Shiro said as he shifted the vehicle into reverse and backed out of his parking slot.

"I know, sorry about that."

Shiro shifted the car into drive, and he pressed the gas pedal down with his foot as he expertly maneuvered the vehicle out of the apartment complex, and into the flow of traffic heading for the Garrison where they both worked.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Keith asked.

Shiro sighed as he swerved to avoid hitting a slower car. "Allura's on my ass. She wants me to make a decision about filling the empty spot we have."

"Why? We do fine as a five-person team."

Shiro nodded as he kept his eyes to the road, "That's what I told her too. She has four recruits she says are excellent shots, but one is also a sniper."

Keith let out a laugh, "Lance will be against that idea."

"I know, but she says this guy Kincaid is quiet. There's one, in particular, I kind of like, he reminds a lot of you when you were coming up through the ranks, but I need to know if I do add him to the team will you have a problem with James Griffin?"

Keith turned and stared at Shiro, "Your kidding right?"

Shiro shook his head. "No, I'm not. There are two others, but I'm not considering either of them. Rizavi is too much of a loose cannon, and I think Leifsdotter and Pidge would butt heads too much."

"I can try to get along with him, but he's a bully Shiro."

"Let me handle him. But can you work with him?"

Keith sighed as he leaned his head back onto the seat's headrest. "I can work with anyone, even Lance. But if he starts on me as he did back in the academy, I will lay his ass out."

"I'd prefer that if you feel the need to do it in the boxing ring." Shiro maneuvered the car into the turning lane. "But if you have any problems," Shiro shot the younger man a quick grin, "See me first."

 

Pidge sneezed again as she dropped the screwdriver on the table and reached into her pocket pulling out a tissue and wiping at her nose. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see the brown-haired, tall and lanky guy of Cuban descent standing in the doorway.

"Allergies again?"

Pidge's amber eyes narrowed as she glared back at him. She brushed a strand of her honey brown hair out of her face. "Go away, Lance."

Lance shook his head. "Look you need to take some allergy pills."

Pidge scowled at him. "Duh, have you realized that the area where we live plays hell on my system." She moved over to the window and pointed where miles of the desert was seen in the distance. "That's my problem. Besides allergy pills for me are pointless. If the non-drowsy over the counter pills put me to sleep."

His ocean blue eyes gazed at the small petite young woman. "Why not get an allergy shot. Heck, your dad's a doctor get him to give you one."

She growled as she glared at him. "And be a pincushion for the rest of my life? No, thanks. Now do me a favor and get out of here before I decide to make you my next project."

Lance gulped, "Uhm… No thanks," he squealed and took off out of the room.

She shook her head as she went back to work on upgrading a surveillance drone.

 

Hunk glanced up as Lance slid into his area as he worked on repairing the sonic gun they sometimes used to get perps to surrender peacefully. The large man of Samoan descent smiled. "Hey Lance, the only time I see you around is when you've either pissed off Pidge or her brother Matt."

Lance stood there for a minute as he gaped at the man. Then he chuckled, "Not this time. I just wanted to see what you were up to?"

Hunk nodded, "Right," he replied as drew the word out. "And I've got some ocean front property just outside the garrison for sale."

Lance frowned, "I'm that readable?"

Hunk nodded as he chuckled. "You bet you are, buddy. But your still my best friend even if Pidge wants to destroy you."

Lance placed his hands on his hips, "How'd you guess?"

Hunk raised a hand and waved it in front of Lance. "That's for me to know and you to find out," he replied as he smirked at his teammate. He glanced up at the clock. "We'll be late for check-in with Shiro, and I don't need any extra cleaning details today." He slipped past Lance.

"Wait up for me," Lance replied as he followed Hunk out of the room.

 

Shiro and Keith strode into the squad room. Shiro glanced over all of them as a new face stepped in. "Am I in the right place?" he asked as he held his duffel bag.

Shiro stepped up and held out his hand. "Yeah."

The newcomer grinned as he took Shiro's hand and the pair shook hands in greeting. Shiro turned to the rest of his team. "This is James Griffin, and he'll be joining us."

Pidge groaned, "Why?"

"Orders Pidge, and I expect all of you to show him the ropes. And how we do things here," Shiro replied. "Until we get a call, Lance, show him where to stow his gear. Hunk, when you're finished with the sonic weapon I want you to spar with him in the boxing ring."

Matt Holt entered the room, "Hey Shiro, I see you got a replacement for Curtis finally."

Shiro sighed, "You know he only transferred because you had an opening on your team."

Matt, as the almost carbon copy of his little sister Pidge, scowled. "I can't help it. Rodgers bought the farm on that last mission we had. Rodrigo was cleared, so he's back. I needed someone to take Rodgers' place." He frowned. As a SWAT team leader, he took every loss personally. "Zarkon is getting bolder," Matt replied. "And Rodgers and Rodrigo were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Shiro placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "We'll get him one way or another."

Matt nodded. "My team's been kind of down since Rodgers was killed. I think some good competition will bring up their spirits."

Shiro stepped back as an eyebrow rose, and he crossed his arms over his chest. "What did you have in mind?"

"Maybe a sharpshooting competition between my sniper and yours."

Shiro shot an amused glance at Matt. "You want to pit Lance and Veronica against each other?"

Matt shrugged as he grinned, "Why not?"

"You know why not," Shiro replied as he poked Matt in the chest with his index finger. "If Lance loses he'll mope around here." But, as he rubbed a hand over his chin in thought, he quietly agreed both teams needed a bit of a morale boost. "I have another idea, how about a team competition. I need to see what Griffin has got and what better way than the training rooms."

"The obstacle course?" Matt hummed in thought. "Yeah, that's a good idea. What time?"

"I was thinking twelve hundred."

"You're on," Matt replied.

 

Lance led James to the locker room. He pointed at one of the lockers along the wall, "You can store your gear there. There's a uniform inside so you can change out of your civilian clothes into that. Captain Allura makes sure we have everything we need for the job. Your call sign will be twenty-three David. Remember that."

"Thanks a lot," the man replied.

"Don't thank me yet. Shiro wants to see what you've got so you get to spar with Hunk sometime today."

"The big guy?" James asked.

Lance nodded, "Yeah."

James frowned, "What does he have against me?

Lance shook his head, "It's nothing against you. It's the fact that she forced him to choose between you and the other candidates to replace a guy who went to Matt Holt's team."

"Oh, I remember now. I heard that Matt lost a guy last week to this new drug lord that's sprung up, this Zarkon."

Lance nodded, "Yeah, this dude is really bad news."

 

Shiro stepped up to Hunk as he worked on the sonic weapon. "Change of plans. I want you to step into the ring with Griffin now."

"What brought this on?" Hunk asked as he picked up a rag and wiped his hands off on it as his dark brown eyes locked on Shiro's dark gray eyes.

"We're going to be running the obstacle course, full gear against Matt's team."

Hunk couldn't help it as a huge grin was plastered on his face. He fist pumped the air. "Yeah, I was hoping for a rematch against them."

Shiro clapped Hunk on the shoulder. "Let's see if Griffin will sink or swim."

Hunk chuckled as he sped off out of the armory.

Shiro stood in the center of the ring as he looked at both Hunk and Griffin. Hunk was taller than Griffin and outweighed the slighter built man by at least fifty pounds. Though Hunk had replaced his teenage flab with nothing but pure muscle, he reminded Shiro of a grizzly ready to take down its next meal.

Shiro turned his head to consider Griffin. The other man was built more like Keith, though maybe an inch or two shorter. He stood at parade rest. He'll learn Shiro thought. "This will be one round. The first one to score fifteen points wins."

He moved out of the ring, and Keith rang the bell. Hunk came out of his corner with chin tucked in and hands up as he moved towards Griffin. His feet shifted changing his angle of attack as he used his left shoulder to protect his chin.

Griffin had the making of an amateur. Shiro's eyes narrowed as his eyes caught Griffin's first mistake. The rookie's chin rose from the tucked position making that an obvious target. Also, he didn't try to shift his body to an angle like Hunks was.

Shiro groaned when Griffin's elbows flared out from his body. Shiro knew this wouldn't take long. Hunk moved in and quickly landed blows to the other man's body.

Griffin grunted with each blow that struck his midsection. He threw a punch which Hunk quickly blocked and landed a blow straight to the chin.

Lance leaned over to Pidge, "What's Hunks score now?"

"Thirteen," she replied.

Lance looked down at his watch and gaped. Five minutes hadn't even passed yet. He groaned, what were they teaching these guys nowadays.

"There's fourteen," Pidge said, "and fifteen."

Keith hit the bell.

Rax glanced at the pair. Griffin was breathing heavily. "I see I have my work cut out for me."

Shiro nodded at Rax, the team's hand to hand expert. "Take him under your wing and teach him. I want him able to take on Hunk and try to win." He waved his hand signaling for everyone to come up to him. "I have accepted a challenge from Matt to the obstacle course. We go at noon, full gear. Pidge will score Matt's team, and someone on Matt's team will score us. Oh, and Pidge make sure you have your gadgets."

He turned to Lance, "Get Griffin outfitted. We'll meet at the obstacle course."

Pidge glanced over at Shiro, "Do I have to do the score with Slav at the controls?"

Shiro gripped her shoulder. "I know you don't like it. But someone has to, and you, after all, are our tech expert."

Pidge groaned. "Just to let you know, I do this under protest."

"Noted."


	2. Obstacle Course and Train Heist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro and Matt's teams face each other in an obstacle course. The team is assigned to solve a case that might have Lotor directing the thefts.

I don't own Voltron Legendary Defender. I'm just taking the characters out for a spin. Please Read and Review

 

Pidge stood next to Slav in the control booth. The guy was a short little man with an odd habit of continually complaining about what if the people on both SWAT teams stepped into a puddle and drowned or if they stepped on a crack and broke their mother's back.

Pidge shook her head as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. She suppressed the giggle that threatened to escape as she remembered how Shiro wanted to strangle the guy. Now that was fun. Although, not for her unflappable team leader, but to see him so close to losing his control on his emotions that were just total bliss. It showed he could get angry too just like the others.

She placed her hands on the computer and brought up the screen. "What have you prepared for this obstacle course," she asked her companion.

"It's an urban setting. A gang of thugs has taken over a building and SWAT has been called in to free any hostages."

"Uhm, you know we'll have a rookie on the team?"

Slav glanced at her, "Of course I do. Do you take me for some moron?"

"Nope," Pidge replied.

"I see your brother's team is up first."

"Yeah, Shiro told me he wanted it to be a sniper competition on the shooting range."

"I can throw in a couple of sniper problems."

An evil grin flashed across Pidge's face, "Do it. I want to see how Matt reacts to that."

 

Matt groaned as Pidge stepped up to him and his team. "Nice bro," she said as she stared at him. "Your team got a score of twelve."

Matt ripped his helmet off his head, "You must have cheated, somehow."

Slav stood next to the young woman, "No, she didn't. I watched her the entire time."

"Do you think your sister would cheat?" Shiro asked Matt.

Matt stared at her for a couple of minutes, and his eyes dropped to the ground, "No, I don't. Sorry, Pidge for not believing you."

"That's okay," she replied as she sneezed again. She pulled a tissue out of her pocket and quickly blew her nose. She glanced around as everyone stared at her. "You all know I have allergies," she growled causing everyone to take a step away from her.

Shiro glanced around at his team, "We're up. Who's doing the scoring?"

Shay stepped forward. "I will."

 

The team moved forward. Hunk was in charge of Griffin as Shiro took the lead. They walked quickly toward the building. Shiro caught movement in between two cars. He held up his hand as he motioned for the team to spread out and then gave them the two signal which meant teams of two. But the third team which was usually just Hunk and Rax had three.

Keith automatically paired himself with his team leader. The two worked well together as they crouched down and moved forward.

"I've got eyes on the girl between the cars. Looks like she's trying to get away," Lance called out.

"Go get her. Hunk, Rax, and Griffin provide cover."

"On it, Shiro," Hunk replied.

The first point was achieved.

They continued through the course which got harder through each twist and turn. If this were a real situation, Griffin would have been dead when one of the hostages turned out to be with the gang.

Lance took out a sniper.

By the time it was finished Shiro's team had a total of thirteen points when they faced Slav and Shay along with Matt Holt. "Shiro's team got thirteen points."

Pidge jumped up and yelled in joy. "Now I get to rub it in your face for a while."

Matt groaned, "And she will too."

Shiro glanced down as his phone buzzed. "We're up," he said as they ran from the course toward their vehicle affectionately called by Captain Allura as the Black Lion.

 

When they arrived at the site, they found Commander Iverson and Captain Allura waiting for them. Shiro directed his team to start investigating. He stepped up to Captain Allura, "So, we're doing train robberies now?"

"We do when they involve the death of a security guard," she replied. "Plus they got away with two million dollars' worth of Oxycodone."

Shiro glanced around, "Do you think it was Zarkon?"

Allura shrugged as she replied, "If it wasn't then I'd say it was either Lotor or one of his generals."

"Lotor?"

Allura held up a tablet with a picture of a very nice-looking man with long white hair. "The DEA is also trying to shut down Zarkon and his son Lotor."

Commander Iverson glanced over at Shiro. "I can't stress the need to keep this garbage off the streets."

Iverson and Allura walked away as a CSI team swarmed over the site looking for evidence.

Shiro stepped up to Keith who stood inside the empty car. Keith squatted down and leaned forward on the balls of his feet. "Hey Keith, I'm gonna grab Pidge and see what kind of surveillance they have here."

Keith held his fingerless gloves in his hands, "They used an oxyacetylene torch to cut the door open. It isn't anything you'd find laying around."

Shiro silently agreed, "Grab Hunk and Rax, hit up burglary. See if this crew ripped it off someone."

Keith nodded as he stood up and pulled his gloves over his hands.

 

Shiro and Pidge returned to headquarters and joined the others in the Lion's Den.

"We got a hit on the torch," Rax said as they stepped up to a computer hub that sat in the middle of the room.

Keith took up the narration. "A trade school was hit in Platte City. They got away with everything needed to rip off boxcars. The school sent us a list of fifteen former students who were either kicked out or dropped out."

Pidge stood in front of the computer as her fingers flew across the keyboard. "I've run them all, but nothing popped except for one Alex Gardner."

Hunk looked at the picture on the screen. "Alex? No Way."

"You know him?" Shiro asked.

"Yeah, we lived only two blocks from each other. We went to high school together, and I run into him from time to time when I go to visit my parents."

Pidge looked at the screen as she read off his record. "Alex Gardner arrested for DUI, unlawful discharge of a firearm, and possession of stolen property."

Keith glanced down, "Well he was also charged for selling stolen goods."

Lance gazed over at Hunk who now paced around the room. "Based on his priors I'd say Gardner is our boy."

Shiro stepped up next to Pidge. "Pull up Gardner's intel. Send a BOLO out to patrol. I want eyes on this guy."

 

They got a lead that Alex Gardner was using his mother's business as a cover.

Shiro gave them their assignments.

Hunk and Griffin went in through the front. They saw Alex who stood behind a table instructing others on how to repackage the oxy pills for redistributing to customers.

As the door to the back room opened Hunk, and Griffin crept to their position. Hunk listening for the signal yelled, "Garrison SWAT. Hands up." He scanned the room with his military style weapon with Griffin following suit.

Gardner dropped what he held and ran only to come in contact with the immovable object of Keith's leg, which kicked out and the lighter, thinner man went flying to land on the floor. Pidge and Rax followed Keith.

Shiro and Lance came in from an opposite door to catch the other rabbits trying to escape.

Hunk stood over Alex, but he moved over to the other three and yelled, "Hands behind your backs," as the other three lay down on the ground. "Cover them," he told Griffin as he moved over to the three and pulled out three pairs of zip cuffs and proceeded to secure their hands behind their backs.

Pidge stared down at Gardner, "Hey, little rabbit, where are you going?"

Keith fit him with zip cuffs as Shiro walked over to them and gazed down at their prisoner. "Alex Gardner, you're under arrest for larceny, possession with intent to sell, and first-degree murder."

 

Alex sat in a chair behind the table in the interrogation room. His hands were now handcuffed in front of him. His arms moved up and down as he spoke while trying to plead his case to Hunk. "Look, I told you I'm just the middleman. A friend came to me with those pills and told me if I could sell them I get twenty percent." He fidgeted in his seat for a moment. "Hunk, you know me, man."

"The Alex I knew came from a good home. What the hell happened?"

Alex shrugged. "I followed my dreams like you. I started deejaying some parties, and they wanted pills. It was easy money."

"And now your rolling with Zarkon and his thugs, who killed a security guard."

Keith leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets. "Sounds like your trending down, Alex."

Shiro leaned against the two-way mirror with his arms crossed over his chest. "How did you plan on getting away?"

Alex sighed as he leaned forward. "Bro, I wasn't with them that killed the security guard. You can help me."

Hunk glared at Alex. "Why would I give you a get out of jail free card even if I could. Huh? So you can sell drugs to the kids in our neighborhood? No deal, bro."

Keith pushed himself off the wall. "What's the name of your friend?"

Alex leaned back as he gazed down at his hands. "Joey but I don't know his last name."

Keith placed his hands on the table as he leaned forward. "And Joey No Last Name got his pills from where?"

"He said he got them from some guy in Platt City who said he found them in a landfill."

Shiro placed a hand up to his face and stared at Alex. "Right," he replied as his voice took on a heavily sarcastic tone. "Some guy dumping his trash found two million worth of oxy in a landfill. Congratulations, my man but you've just won the first prize for the stupidest story anyone's ever tried to tell in this room."

Alex's lips trembled as he sucked in a shaky breath. "Look I know dealing drugs is dumb. But I didn't kill anybody."

 

Hunk, Keith, and Shiro joined the others as Pidge picked up a computer mouse. "I traced Gardner's calls to a burner phone but found a GPS app on his phone."

Hunk stared at the screen when it struck him why there'd be a GPS on his former friend's phone. "You can buy those tracer chips for twenty dollars, stick 'em in boxcars."

Commander Iverson gazed at Allura and Shiro. "That's the freight car that was hit last night."

Pidge brought an image to focus on the screen. "And that's the railyard twenty minutes southeast of the City of Industry."

Iverson gazed at Allura. "Lotor's next target."

 

Lotor's crew slid the door open to the freight car. Lotor stepped away as he placed a cigarette to his lips.

Lights came on turning the area around the boxcar from night to almost day. Shiro's voice roared from the bullhorn he held to his lips. "This is Garrison SWAT, face down on the ground, hands on your head."

Lotor pulled his handgun firing at the Bearcat as he hopped backward rapidly before breaking out into a run.

Shiro yelled, "Don't let them scatter," as his team gave chase. A whistle blew in the distance.

Lance yelled, "Train! Everybody watch your six!"

Shiro yelled, "Where's our backup?" as the train cut off their pursuit. But it did hit the slowest of the perps as he tried to escape.

Rax said, "They said they were five minutes out."

Keith growled, "Unbelievable."

Pidge glanced down at the ground at a body part. "Oh no."

Lance joined her. "Train won."

Pidge rolled her eyes as James caught sight of what she'd been looking at. He turned away from it and couldn't stop himself from gagging and then retching up the contents of his stomach.

Lance turned and glanced at the guy, "And he was supposed to be a good candidate?"

James stood up and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. "I know it might seem strange, but as a patrol cop I never once had to pull a gun or see a dead body."

"You're in SWAT now, so you'd better get a grip on reality Griffin," Shiro told him. "Your actions can either save a teammate or get someone killed."

 

After allowing Alex to stew in the interrogation room Hunk and Keith reentered.

Hunk slammed a hand on the table. "I have to wonder if the guy who died tonight was a friend of yours."

Alex raised his head to gaze at Hunk, "Huh?"

"See we caught Lotor's group robbing another boxcar. Only one of his guys was a little slow," Keith said as he smacked his hands together.

"If you give us the information to bring Lotor down I'll personally talk to the D.A. and get your sentence reduced," Hunk replied.

Alex leaned back in the chair finally realizing that no matter what story he told Hunk was never going to buy it. He sighed as something his grandma used to say to him as he was younger, 'The truth will set you free.' He nodded his head quickly. "Lotor buys the train schedules off a supervisor at the railhead after the trains are loaded. He'll have heard about my arrest, so he'll need a new schedule."

 

Shiro with his team following said, "We confiscated the Oxy from Lotor's first train robbery. We crashed his Vicodin party, and now he's down two from his crew."

Hunk added, "And he's down a fat chunk of money too."

Shiro nodded, "Right, so now he's desperate. But he knows the rails are too hot, so he needs to change tactics." He stepped up to Lance's big brother Marco. "You get pings on those boxes yet?"

Marco replied, "Yeah all fifty containers brought in by train have been transferred to flatbeds heading to cities all over the country."

Shiro gazed at Pidge.

She turned to Shiro, "I've highlighted the top five containers containing the highest priced cargo. Out of those only one has pharmaceutical drugs." She turned back to the screen and pressed one of the blinking dots. "Only this one that's scheduled to take off for St. Louis tonight with six million in Percocet."

Shiro smacked his hands together. "We'll form a plan as we move. Let's roll."

 

Rax, wearing a coverall walked toward the semi as the supervisor of the trucking company walked next to him. "We took the pallets of Percocet off as you asked." As they neared the semi, he said, "There she is. You sure you can handle this beast?"

Rax replied, "Don't insult me."

The supervisor chuckled and walked away.

Keith and Pidge followed. Keith addressed Rax, "Alright, so like we talked about. Take the scenic route to the freeway. Use the surface streets through the industrial area, so there are no pedestrians."

Rax nodded. "Keep it under thirty, hit every stop light!"

"We've got eyes on you all the time. So don't worry," Keith replied.

Pidge glanced over at Keith. "He look worried to you?" Keith huffed and walked away.

Pidge stared at Rax for a moment. "Hey, your missing something." She pulled a hat out of her back pocket.

"What's that?"

She held up the hat, "Get in, sit down, and shut up." She reached up and shoved the hat down on his head which had the words printed on the front of the hat. "Perfect."

Rax chuckled as he climbed into the cab of the semi.

Pidge hurried around the front of the truck heading for the car Keith would drive.

 

Rax pulled the semi off the lot and onto the road. "Alright, twenty David all clear on my one. How's my three-shot looking?"

Shiro drove his dark gray Dodge Charger police pursuit vehicle with Hunk riding shotgun and Griffin in the back. "Clear for now keep cruising. Let Lotor take the bait."

"Roger that Shiro. Hey, twenty-one David do you copy."

Keith replied, "Copy twenty-five David. Just waiting for you to say when."

Rax turned a corner when a large semi sized wrecker pulled up and stopped blocking the street. Rax slammed on the breaks as burned rubber reached his nose. "Twenty David game on. We got suspects armed with AK's."

A man on the street glared at him, "Open up."

Rax shouted back, "I don't think so, bro."

Three men lined up and started firing at the semi, but their rounds never pierced the bulletproof glass and pinged off the cab of the semi.

Two Dodge Chargers pulled up with tires squealing as Shiro shouted, "Coming up on your left, Rax!"

Hunk stepped out of the car yelling, "Drop your weapons!" As gunfire screamed on the street breaking the calm the day had promised.

Shiro called out, "Twenty David to command we're taking rounds, shots fired."

One of the suspects was able to slip away under a hail of gunfire. Another tried to shoot his way out, but Pidge shot him. "Twenty-two David to command, one suspect down."

Hunk snuck around the wrecker. The third perp turned and began to raise his weapon, but Hunk pulled out a taser, fired, and pushed a massive amount of electricity through the other man. "Twenty-six David, suspect down. I'm Code four."

Shiro and Keith took off in pursuit of the third suspect. They found themselves in the semi version of an elephant graveyard. Shiro said quickly. "I've got left side."

"I've got right."

Neither knew Griffin had followed them.

Keith and Shiro moved around the graveyard of semis. Adrenaline coursed through their veins as they searched for the last suspect.

Shiro stepped in between two trucks as he paused he didn't see the third suspect take aim.

Shots rang out behind him. Shiro spun around to see Griffin with his gun still raised and the perp down on the ground unmoving.

Griffin, who'd never had to shoot anyone froze as his skin paled to ghostly white. Keith stepped up beside him, placed his gloved palm on the barrel and pushed the rifle down. "It's okay now. You got him."

Griffin blinked several times. "I-I killed him."

"Better him than Shiro."

Shiro leaned back against a hulk of a truck breathing heavily as the import of what happened sunk into his brain. "Twenty David suspect down."

 

Shiro stepped into the Lion's Den. "Listen up. We've shut down Lotor's crew. Unfortunately, Lotor is still out there along with Zarkon."

Groans came from the other officers of his command.

"I know. I can't agree more. Go home, be with your families. You've earned some time off."


	3. A Difficult Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After shutting down Lotor's crew Shiro finds things can be difficult.

Shiro pulled his car into his parking slot. Keith climbed out of the passenger's seat. "Thanks for the ride, Shiro."

"No problem, Keith," Shiro shook his head and chuckled as he slid out of the driver's seat and shut the door. He locked it and then turned on the anti-theft alarm. He let out a soft sigh as he trudged toward the door of the apartment that he and Adam shared.

The sun was sliding towards its rest for the day as he pulled his keys out of his pocket and slid the door key into the deadbolt. He turned as a simple click sounded, and he stepped over the threshold entering the code into the alarm system to disarm it. He closed the door and then re-entered the code to reactivate the alarm.

He made his way across the carpeted floor to the bedroom. He sat down on the side of the bed trying not to wake Adam. He heard the bed creak as Adam stirred. "Takashi, your home," his husband said sleepily as he sat up.

Shiro nodded as he let out a sigh.

"Rough shift?" Adam asked as he rose from the bed and his bare feet padded across the carpet.

"It was. But as you know, we can't leave until our assignment is taken care of."

"I know, but I think it's a stupid rule," he said as he sat down next to Shiro. He placed his hands on Shiro's shoulders and began to rub. "You're so tense," he said as he found knots in his husband's shoulders and the base of his neck. He dug into the knots with his fingers and thumbs.

Shiro closed his eyes and groaned as Adam's ministrations started to relax him. "You're going to put me to sleep if you keep that up," a quirk of a smile tugged at his lips.

"That's the whole point," Adam replied as he leaned over and pressed a kiss to Shiro's forehead. "Now let's get you out of these clothes so you can sleep."

"You spoil me," Shiro said as Adam stood and pulled his shirt up and over his head.

Adam smiled, "You work so hard you need spoiling." He helped Shiro remove his shoes, socks, and jeans. "You care so much about others that you'll work until you drop."

"I swore to protect and serve."

"You do that and more, but now it's time to recharge those batteries," Adam said as he helped ease Shiro down on the bed and covered him with the blanket. He brushed a hand over Shiro's face. "Sleep now."

"Thank you, Mr. Deputy District Attorney," he said as his dark gray eyes closed.

 

Shiro rolled over and felt Adam's side of the bed empty he opened his eyes slightly to the sound of the shower running. Oh, he thought. Adam's getting ready for work. His eyes closed again. At thirty-two years of age, he couldn't believe he was this exhausted. He drifted back to sleep again.

 

Adam stepped out of the shower and toweled off quickly. He ran his hand across the steam on the mirror as he ran the towel over his head of light brown hair that looked almost blond when the light hit it just right. He ran an electric razor over his face and rubbed his cheeks making sure all the stubble was gone. He quickly dressed in his dark charcoal gray suit with a light gray shirt with a red and black striped tie. He slipped his socked feet into the black loafers. Today he had a full docket at the courthouse of prosecuting cases and demanding bail on several of the perps SWAT had taken down.

He stepped out of the master bath. Leaned over the bed and pressed a kiss to Shiro's forehead and stepped out of the bedroom. Walking into the living room he picked up his briefcase and opened the door. He pressed in the code for the alarm, deactivating it and reactivated it, pulled the door shut behind him as he closed the door and pulled out his keys and locked the deadbolt.

He headed out to his car which sat next to Shiro's and noticed Keith stepping out of his apartment. He smiled as he raised his hand and waved to the younger man. "Hey Keith," Adam called out.

"Hey Adam, I was wondering how Shiro's doing this morning."

Something about the way Keith said it had alarms going off in Adams mind. The only reason Keith asked was if something had happened on whatever case that might cause Shiro problems.

Keith turned his head away as he sucked in a breath and stuck out his lips and his face took on an uh oh expression. Keith had accidentally let the proverbial cat out of the bag.

"What happened yesterday?"

"I don't think I should tell you."

Adam crossed his arms over his chest as his light brown eyes flashed showing temper building behind them. "Keith your practically my family. Hell, you are family. You're my brother-in-law. I don't want you keeping secrets from me. Now spill."

Keith groaned. "Shiro will so kill me, but I thought he'd told you last night." He paused as he steadied himself. "We were chasing a perp which led us to a scrapyard for semi's and well if it was for our new team member shooting the guy Shiro might have been killed."

Adam's eyes narrowed. "I'm glad you told me this." He turned as he stomped back toward the apartment. He quickly entered not bothering to disarm the alarm and stormed into the bedroom. "Takashi Shirogane, why didn't you tell me?" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

Keith quickly raced behind the man and knowing that a domestic wouldn't look good and knew the alarm code his fingers flew across the pad as he disarmed the alarm. Slammed the door shut behind him and followed Adam to the bedroom.

Shiro jolted up from his sleep, "Huh, what?" he asked sleepily as he stared up at Adam. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you almost getting shot or killed yesterday. Why didn't you tell me about it?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't tell you. I didn't think about it. I was just so tired." Shiro said as he sat up in the bed leaning up against the headboard. "How did you find out about it?"

"Uhm… Sorry Shiro," Keith said from behind Adam. "I thought you'd told him. You usually do."

Shiro brought a hand up to his forehead and rubbed, "I don't want to fight, Adam."

"I don't either, but seriously if something like this happens again, tell me."

"You got it." Shiro's phone buzzed. "Shit," he said as he reached over and picked it up. "It's Allura. I've got to take it."

"Why can't she leave you alone on your day off?" Adam asked.

"I'll find out, but shouldn't you be heading off to work?" Shiro replied.

Adam pushed up the sleeve of his suit jacket and glanced at his watch. "Your right. I'll see you when I get out of court, I hope," he added.

Shiro nodded as he spoke softly. "Be careful."

"I will."

Shiro typed in his code to unlock the phone. "Hello?"

"Shiro, I'm sorry to bother you on your day off, but I need to see you in my office. It's important."

Shiro frowned as he listened to his Captain speak. "I'll be there," he replied as he hit the disconnect button.

"What did she want?" Keith asked.

"I don't know. She just said it was important."

 

Shiro knocked at the door frame as he stood in the doorway of Allura's office.

She glanced up from her desk. Her white hair sat on her head in the characteristic bun she always wore. Her dark mocha skin shimmered under the fluorescent light that shown down on her from the ceiling. "Come in Shiro and close the door behind you."

"Okay," he replied as he took a couple of steps inside and the shut the door. "What's this about."

She motioned to a chair in front of her dark mahogany desk. "Please sit."

He walked over to a chair and sat down. "You're mysterious about this Captain. What's going on?"

Allura leaned forward in her seat. "What I'm going to ask of you will be difficult, but to begin at the beginning. I received a call an hour ago from the DEA. They have an agent embedded in Zarkon's organization, and they need to get this agent out. They are afraid that this agent's cover is about to be blown since one of Zarkon's enforcers was released from prison. They contend that this enforcer will return to Zarkon."

Shiro listened to what she said, "And you want me to send one of my team members into his snake pit to get this agent out." His muscles began to tense. "Allura, that would be a death sentence. I can't ask one of my people to go into a situation like that."

Allura nodded, "I know Shiro, but they have some intel on how it could be accomplished. Lotor is recruiting another heist crew. One of your people could get into Lotor's crew, and that would get them access to Zarkon's organization. Who among your team has done any undercover work?"

Shiro sighed, "You know who as much as I do. Keith." His face muscles tightened as he gripped the arms of the chair. "I can't just order him to do this, and he's my second in command as well as my brother in every sense of the word."

"I know, but first and foremost he is a SWAT officer under my command before you. I could have just called him directly and made it an order instead of coming to you first. I'm making this a request, but I need an answer by 1500 today."

Shiro sighed as the tension grew in his neck. "Thank you, Captain." He rose from the chair and exited her office.

 

Shiro with a heavy heart drove back to his building. How could he ask Keith to put his life on the line for someone he didn't know. But he realized that the greater good of putting Zarkon behind bars for the rest of his life was meaningful. Not for a medal or recognition but the knowledge that the garbage his group peddled not to mention the other despicable operations they were engaged in were put to rest. One being child trafficking.

He pulled into his parking slot and took a deep breath steeling himself for what would come next.


	4. Lotor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro and Keith talk about the undercover assignment. Keith meets Lotor.

I don't own Voltron Legendary Defender. I'm just taking the characters out for a spin. Please read and review.

 

Shiro climbed out of his car and couldn't stop the sigh that escaped his lungs as he stared down at Keith's door. He fought to find the words that he needed to say as he approached his brother's door. He brought his hand up and knocked.

He heard a muffled, "Coming," from the other side of the white door. It opened, and he saw Keith standing there in his jeans and T-shirt.

"Take a walk with me," Shiro said quietly as stared down the street at the playground that the children used.

"Sure," Keith replied as he stepped out in the sunlight.

The pair walked down the sidewalk toward the playground as Keith gazed out the corner of his eye at Shiro's tight face, and his jaw was clenched. Sadness seemed to settle in his brother's face.

"What did Allura want?"

Shiro released a heavy sigh. "She wants me to order you to infiltrate Lotor's new crew he's forming to get into Zarkon's organization. It seems the DEA has an agent embedded and he or she may have intel on his organization that would destroy it once and for all. It's also because you have undercover experience."

"And you don't want me to do it?" Keith asked.

Shiro shook his head. "I can't force you to do it, but Allura can and will if I can't convince you."

As the pair walked onto the playground, Shiro saw a rock and picked up the pebble holding it in his hand. He balled his fist around it, pulled his arm back, and threw it. "I-I," he stammered but powered through, "I want to end Zarkon, but not at the risk of losing you like Matt's team lost Rogers." He turned around and leaned against the fence that enclosed the playground as the back of his throat burned to make it difficult for him to swallow.

He propped his elbow on the top rail and held his head in his hand. His other hand reached up and rubbed at the back of his neck trying to erase the tension that refused to leave.

Keith stepped up next to Shiro. "If this puts an end to Zarkon and Lotor then I'm in."

Shiro couldn't stop the wince at Keith's words. His mouth downturned as he pressed his lips together. He wanted to inflict pain on Zarkon at this point, because of the pain that threatened to rip his heart apart. "I thought you'd say that," Shiro replied as his stomach twisted as if some god squeezed tightly on the organ.

Keith threw an arm over his brother's shoulders. "Everything will work out fine," he replied as he tried to force himself to believe his own words. Seeing the man in so much pain hurt. He hated to see Shiro agonize over this. He turned his head to gaze at his team leader. "There's something that you told me once that still holds today. If it weren't for us to protect the people who live in the area where we protect and serve chaos would reign supreme. I suppose it was you who helped me see the light when I was spiraling down that same road as the other wolves."

"You remember that?" Shiro asked as he turned his head towards Keith and gazed into the younger man's blue-gray eyes.

"Yeah, I was sixteen when we first met. You had a big impact on me when you explained how the world was made up of the flock of people we protect, and the wolves who prey on the flock and how you were a sheepdog who protects the flock. If it hadn't been for you I'd be sitting in prison somewhere," Keith said as a soft smile tugged at his lips.

Shiro couldn't stop the smile that tugged at his mouth in return. "You were a good kid in a bad situation. I knew I had to do something to reach you."

"You did, and I'm grateful." His eyes were soft as he gripped Shiro's shoulder. His limbs tingled with warmth, and his own heart felt full. He clapped Shiro on the back. "I suppose we go and tell Allura that I'm doing this."

Shiro nodded quietly.

"I think we should also contact Pidge. She's been working on a tracker that just might come in handy for this."

 

Keith and Shiro entered the SWAT headquarters and walked to Pidge's area. Keith grinned at the smallest of the SWAT team as she bent over her laptop. "I told Shiro we'd find you here. It's like you never leave."

Pidge grinned as she turned to stare at them. "Why aren't the two of you enjoying your day off?"

Keith chuckled, "I could say the same thing about you. It's like if we're not out on a mission, you're tucked away in here working on something."

"Truer words were never spoken," she replied as she scratched at the back of her head. "I like it here. So why are you here?" she asked again.

"How close are you to perfecting that microscopic homing device?" Keith asked.

Pidge's amber eyes sparkled as she bounced up from her seat. "Oh, I forgot to tell you about it completely. It works like a charm." She stepped up to Keith and Shiro and leaned toward them. "You can't tell Matt though, I used him as a guinea pig, and it works great."

Shiro shook his head as he chuckled.

Keith grinned at her but then sobered quickly as his face muscles relaxed. "I need you to put one in me."

"Huh?" Pidge asked taken off guard by his comment.

"I have an undercover assignment, and I need someone to have my back. You and Marco are the obvious choice."

Pidge glanced between Shiro and Keith. She hesitated as she bit her bottom lip.

Shiro quietly nodded.

She turned back to her work area and moved to the place where she had the trackers. "I have to put it in a syringe with a little saline. Your not afraid of needles are you, Keith?" She asked as she turned her head toward him.

"No, I'm not."

She walked over to the pair and motioned for him to raise the sleeve of his T-shirt. Pidge wiped the area off with an alcohol swab. "I have to angle this in so it's under the skin but not in your bloodstream." She inserted the needle and winced afraid she was hurting him. She depressed the plunger and pulled the syringe out.

"One more thing I have to do. I need to activate it." She pulled out a small device and flipped a switch on it. She turned and walked over to her laptop and entered several commands. "It's working," she said as she glanced at the red dot on her screen. "One more thing. I built in another feature to it. Just bump your arm at the injection site, and it activates an S.O.S., and we'll be able to find you no matter where you are."

Shiro's smile had a hint of sadness to it as he stared at the younger woman. "Thanks, Pidge."

"I have to go and get my assignment from Allura. Thank you, Pidge, for having my back."

Pidge hated that Keith was leaving. She raced over to him and wrapped her arms around his middle and placed her head on his shoulder. "Make sure you come back."

Keith stiffened slightly, but he eased his arms around her. "I promise I will."

 

Keith stepped out of Allura's office. He saw Shiro waiting for him. "Looks like this is it," he said as he reached a hand out to the older man. Shiro gripped his hand and then pulled Keith into an embrace. "Stay safe," he said quietly.

Keith nodded finding it was hard to speak. He finally found his voice, "I will. Don't worry so much."

Shiro let him go.

 

Keith glanced at the address written down on the slip of paper Allura had handed to him. The neighborhood was just as bad as he thought it would be. Garbage spilled over a from a rusted dumpster as a slight breeze nudged a paper wrapper to wave at anyone on the street. Black from both pollution and dirt trailed down the sides and fronts of buildings along the road. A cat yowled in the distance.

A homeless man dressed in rags lay in a doorway muttering in the light from the flashy neon sign that flashed over a bar. Keith turned and glanced at his reflection in the glass. The scar on his right cheek gave him a dangerous look.

At least it was real — a souvenir from one of his undercover assignments that went sideways.

He turned back to the bar, crossed the street, and entered. His eyes adjusted to the darker interior of the establishment. His eyes scanned the area not seeing Lotor anywhere as he approached the bar. The bartender stared at him, "What'll it be?"

"Shot of Jack," Keith replied.

The bartender sat a shot glass down on the bar and filled it with the amber liquid.

Keith pulled out a five-dollar bill and sat it down in front of him.

The bartender's hand snaked out and grabbed the five and snatched it as if it was on fire and he seemed to glide down to another customer who stood at the bar. The jukebox in the corner played some song he didn't recognize.

Keith picked up the glass and brought it up to his lips. He tipped it back and swallowed the Tennessee Whiskey quickly. It ran a warming trail down his throat to the pit of his stomach. He sat the glass back down when a woman with a pinkish hair with several variated color horizontal stripes stepped up next to him.

"Looking for work?" she asked.

"What's it to you?" he asked as he sneered at her.

"I know someone who's looking for people who can handle some difficult jobs." She gazed at him up and down as if sizing him up. "You look just like the type he's looking for."

"Does this guy have a name? I don't work for anyone," Keith replied as he leaned up against the bar.

"He'll tell you. If you're interested follow me," she said as she strode purposefully in front of him swishing her hips as if she was interested in something more from the dark-haired man.

She lead him to a door where another woman built like a Mack truck stood. "Another recruit?" she asked the smaller woman.

"Possibly," she said as she stepped up to the door and knocked.

The door was pulled open, and the pink haired woman led the way in.

A figure sat in the shadows. "Who's this Ezor?" the cultured voice said.

"Someone who might be looking for work, but he won't commit."

"I like a person who is cautious." The figure leaned forward into the light.

Keith controlled his emotions but the name popped into his head, Lotor.


	5. Mom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith makes an unsettling discovery.

I don't own Voltron Legendary Defender. I'm just taking the characters out for a spin.

Allura handed off the packet of information over to Marco. "I need you to enter this information on Keith. He's undercover but knowing what intel I already have the targets will do a record check. We don't want them to discover he's a cop and that he's SWAT."

"You got it, Captain," Marco replied as he opened the file. As his fingers flew over the keyboard, he whistled through his teeth. "If I didn't know he was SWAT I'd think he was one bad dude."

"That's the idea, Marco."

 

Lotor leaned forward in his chair as he indicated the chair across for him. As Keith sat down the immaculate looking man asked, "Would you like a drink?"

Keith waved a hand in front of him as he crossed his arms over his chest. "No. I want to know what the job is."

"Straight to the point. I like that," he replied. But Lotor held up a finger, "First I need to find out who you are. I have to be careful."

Keith nodded in agreement.

Lotor motioned for someone behind Keith to move forward. The woman had short blue hair and wore dark lipstick.

She held out a device that was police issue. Keith narrowed his eyes slightly. How did they get their hands on a fingerprint scanner, he wondered.

"Put your finger here," she indicated the area for his fingertip. He did as told, and it beeped. She passed it over to Lotor.

"Thank you, Acxa," he said as a slight smile tugged at his mouth. Lotor opened up the laptop that sat on the table and plugged the scanner into it as the machine came to life. His lips began to curl up. "Keith Kogane, my you have been a bad boy. Ran away from home at twelve, bank robbery at the tender age of sixteen, vandalism, menacing with a deadly weapon, and you're out now on parole. You are who I've been looking for."

Keith cocked his head, "And?"

Lotor folded his hands up underneath his chin getting to the point. "My father wants me to hunt down a rat. He believes there is someone in his ranks who is some fed or cop. So this will be an extermination job." Lotor removed a pad and pen from his inside jacket pocket and wrote something on it.

He slid the paper across the table to Keith. "Go to this address. Ezor will go with you," Lotor said as he replaced the pen and pad to his pocket. He glanced up at the woman. "And Ezor behave. He's not to be considered one of your playthings."

Ezor sighed heavily, "You take away all of my fun."

Lotor stared at Keith. "You have two days. If you don't find the rat, my father won't be happy. When he's not happy people have a tendency of disappearing permanently."

Keith's mouth went dry as he swallowed hard.

 

Pidge stared at her worktable as she sighed. Her stomach twisted, and she couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was going to happen. Was it a portent of things to come? She didn't know. She just knew that Keith being gone on this undercover mission wasn't right.

She needed to talk to somebody but other than herself and Shiro she didn't know if anyone else on the team knew about the undercover assignment. She walked out of her sanctum and wondered out to the motor pool. Why she came out here, she couldn't say.

She couldn't stop the nervous giggle that erupted from her as she heard a tool drop to the ground followed by an inventive string of curses coming from under the hood of a nearby car. Coran was in fine form today.

"Who's there?"

"It's just me, Pidge," she replied.

The ginger-haired man stood up and wiped his greasy hands off on a rag. "What brings you here?"

She sighed again, "I guess I need someone to talk to and you're a good listener."

"That's true," he replied as he winked at her. "So what's on your mind?"

"Keith, he's on an undercover mission," she said as she leaned against the patrol car the man was working on. "What kind I don't know, but I have a feeling that it's dangerous because he wanted me to give him one of my new trackers I created, and it has me worried."

"Keith can handle himself."

"I know that, but I can't help feeling that something will go wrong," Pidge replied as she stared at him.

"Why not talk about this with the rest of the team?" Coran replied as he stepped around the front of the car.

"They don't know yet, and I don't feel it's my place to tell them."

"I understand. Does Shiro know?"

Pidge nodded, "Yeah, he was with Keith, and he okayed it." Her eyes turned down to the floor. "He wasn't happy about it either."

Coran placed a hand on her shoulder. "Keith chose you to go to because he knows that he can count on you to have his back along with everyone else on your team."

Pidge nodded, "I get that."

"Then stop worrying, my girl. Keith is resourceful."

 

Keith followed Ezor into the building. "This is where we usually hang out until Zarkon or Lotor needs us for whatever either of them wants." A warm smile lit her face as she leaned forward. "I wish Lotor hadn't told me to behave. We could have a lot of fun together."

He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back out of his personal space. "I don't have time for your distractions."

She stuck her bottom lip out as she pouted. "You are no fun."

He dropped his hands from her shoulders. "Yeah, others have told me that too. Now, where can I get started."

She led him to a room with several computers. "You'll find the backgrounds of everyone who works for Zarkon there on the computer. You do know how to operate a computer don't you?"

His eyes narrowed. "Of course I do."

"Fine!" she said as she stomped out of the room, her stiletto heels clicking angrily across the floor.

He sat in the chair in front of the computer. He pulled out of his pocket the piece of paper Lotor had given him. Under the address was a word that must be a password to the computer. He turned it own, and when it came to the password he entered it, and it opened. He looked through the files only to find that there was nothing about what Zarkon was doing on there, just files on his people.

He began to go through them when one stood out to him. It looked like it could be a fake background just like his. He opened up the picture and sat there stunned as he stared at the woman who stared back at him. "Mom?" he whispered.

He inhaled a shaky breath and couldn't stop the trip down memory lane as he heard her voice in his mind. "Keith, that's not a toy," the voice was soft as she pulled the badge out of his three-year-old hands.

He scanned the files looking for a likely candidate he could switch profiles with. At least Pidge had taught him some useful skills in hacking. Hopefully, Zarkon didn't have a hacker as good as Pidge in his organization who could figure out what he was doing by changing his mother's profile with this woman Ladnok.

He leaned back in the chair as he breathed a sigh of relief and ran a hand over the corded muscles in the back of his neck. He glanced around at the spartanly furnished room. Now all he needed to do was contact his mother and get her and himself out of here safely.

He glanced down at his watch. His mind was focusing on the code words he would have to say. Tomorrow would be good to get the next phase of this operation in motion.


	6. Hijacked Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone is carjacking high priced cars. Why are they striking so fast?

I don't own Voltron Legendary Defender. I'm just taking the characters out for a spin. Sorry, this has taken so long, but things have been going on that has gained more attention away from my writing. But I'm hoping that now things calm down.

 

Griffin strode into the Lion's Den. "Rax said you wanted to see me?"

Shiro folded his arms over his chest. "Carjacking spree going on as we speak. Four separate incidents. Six injured and a security guard is in a coma. The two-man team behind it armed and at large."

Marco stepped up to the massive wall screen. "Latest target Aston Marten. The owner just took delivery this morning."

Shiro turned to James. "I looked into your file. You worked a street racing gig. You got to know all the big boys in black market auto. You ever run across a player this aggressive?"

Griffin stared at the screen but shook his head. "No, I've never heard of four violent jackings in this short of time."

Lance strode into the Lions Den with a woman following him. "Another car reported stolen at gunpoint from a garage." He motioned to the woman. "Everyone knows Captain Romelle from the Auto Theft Task Force?"

Shiro turned and nodded her way. "Hello, Captain. Your team suspects this is the same two-man crew?"

She gazed at Shiro. "Too early to tell. We usually investigate bump and robs, bust chop shops, but this is different."

"How's that?" Lance asked.

She pulled a small tablet from her pocket. "A McLaren 640 was carjacked from an intersection. The driver was shot." She pressed a button, and several dots blinked on the screen. "A Maserati was stolen in Farmington. The driver hospitalized. An Audi R8 lifted in Cortez. A Porsche was wrestled from a Durango valet. The Ashton Marten in Monticello. This is all in the last four hours."

"We can't say these guys aren't picky," Griffin replied. "Those are all sick rides."

Shiro nodded, "And all brand spanking new."

Romelle nodded as she added, "My team is scrambling. Carjackings are usually a crime of opportunity."

Griffin replied, "No way this isn't coordinated, but what's their plan? Hijack a fleet of luxury vehicles and sell 'em for parts?"

Romelle gazed at him. "That's the operating theory."

Griffin frowned, "That's a lot of risk for limited reward."

Shiro held his chin in his hand as he thought. He dropped his arms to his sides. "Griffin, do you have any idea who could be trading black market parts for cars like this?"

"No idea, but they'd need a crew that knows their way around some top-of-the-line technology."

Rax stepped over from the tabletop computer off to the side in the Lion's Den. "Hey, an elderly woman was just pistol-whipped out of her brand new Mercedes S-class in downtown Platte City. Two attackers, same M-O as the rest. I got the cars GPS signature from the manufacturer before the carjackers took it offline."

Lance pointed at the screen. "So the satellite tracks the cars for about a half a mile before the GPS goes dark just like the others. There's no way to track them. They could be anywhere now."

Shiro stared at the screen as something began to click. "No, hold up. See the trajectory of these three cars before the signal dropped? They're all headed due east."

Marco stepped up, "But these three are moving in the opposite direction right to the freeway."

Griffin gazed at Marco, "That's a huge area to cover."

Shiro replied, "That's a good place to start." He turned to Romelle, "Can your team work backward and track each car's point of origin?"

Romelle's eyes lit up as she saw where he was going with this. "Of course."

Shiro asked, "What's the word on the Highway Patrol?"

Lance replied, "BOLO's on every vehicle and eyes in the sky."

Shiro slammed a fist into the palm of his other hand. "We've got to get out there, but we're a man down."

Lance gazed around. "Where's Keith?"

"He's undercover working a case for the DEA."

Lance frowned, "He gets all the gravy assignments."

Shiro turned away as he fought the painful tightness in his throat. He couldn't help the thought that it was because of him that Keith was risking his life.

Rax didn't say anything, but he caught the sadness in his leader's eyes.

Hunk and Pidge joined them with Curtis in tow. Hunk grinned, "Look who we found."

Curtis grinned. "Allura called and asked if I could fill in for Keith. Of course, I jumped at the chance. Don't get me wrong, Matt runs a tight ship, but I like you all better."

A slow grin appeared on Rax's face as he slapped Curtis on the back.

"Glad to have you onboard," Shiro replied.

"What's the plan?" Hunk asked.

Shiro thought for a moment before answering. "They work quickly, so it's not going to be easy to get ahead of them. We stay near freeway entrances, every major intersection, be ready to pounce. Let's move."

The others nodded as they started moving out. Shiro called out, "Griffin, there is no way this outfit isn't tapped into the auto world somehow. Is there anyone you can talk to? Anyone that might know something."

"I know somebody who might help. Her name is Te-Osh."

Shiro nodded. "Go pay a visit to your friend."

 

Keith strode into Lotor's office. "I've found your rat."

Lotor smiled open-mouthed. "Who is it?"

Keith internally shuddered. Lotor's smile reminded him of a shark ready to strike. "Her name is Ladnok." He placed a USB drive down on Lotor's desk.

Lotor's fingers grasped the small device. "My father will be pleased." Lotor slipped the drive into his jacket pocket. He pulled open a drawer and hand pulled out an envelope. He laid it on the desk. "Your payment and an incentive for staying on. Now I have some business to attend to."

Keith didn't want Lotor's blood money, but he picked up the envelope and slipped it inside a pocket of his red and white jacket.

 

Griffin walked into Te-Osh's garage. "Sweet bike," he said as she glanced up from the motorcycle, she was rebuilding.

"Hey, James," she replied as she brushed back a strand of bright green hair out of her face. "What brings you to see me?"

"Seen the news yet?" Griffin asked as he pulled off the backpack he wore and pulled out a tablet.

Te-Osh gazed at it. "Yeah." Her mouth formed an O as she put two and two together. "Oh, are these the cars that were stolen?"

"Yeah," Griffin replied as he scrolled through the pictures.

Te-Osh leaned over his shoulder and gazed down at the pictures. "Six cars like that will net you about two mil."

"Any thoughts on whose responsible?"

"No," she replied as she wiped her hands on a cloth. When Griffin stopped scrolling, she gazed at the picture again. "Huh," she said. "Let me see that," she said as she grabbed the tablet out of Griffin's hands. "They know which cars they want."

"They're targeting specific models?" Griffin asked.

"Yeah," she replied. "Although, it looks to me like they're targeting specific vehicles. Look these have installed the most secure GPS systems on the market. It's like totally unique anti-theft codes to override. So to get them off-line that fast you need someone inside the car jamming the GPS at the same time, the cars signal drops from the satellite."

"You're saying they have someone hacking the satellites."

Te-Osh nodded.

"Who's capable of pulling that off?" Griffin asked.

"I can, but I'm not in that business anymore. Uhm… there's Ulaz in Cortez, a guy named Bogh at that auto body shop in Platte City, and Narti in Durango."

Griffin smiled, "Okay, thanks." He slipped the tablet back into his backpack. "I'll let you know how it goes."

Te-Osh called out as he began to walk out. "James, I know you think you owe me one, okay, but you don't."

Griffin replied as a smile tugged at his lips. "I know. That's why we're friends."

 

Pidge and Hunk walked into the body shop. They glanced around, seeing a woman leaning up against a car. Pidge and Hunk walked over to her. "Anybody working here today?" Pidge asked.

The woman barely pulled herself away from her cell phone. "Assistant manager is out back having a smoke, and the mechanics are out to lunch."

Pidge stood by her as Hunk wandered into the back office. His eye was drawn to a large map of the area with the cars that were stolen pinned to the map and notes plastered on the maps. He pulled a drop cloth from the desk finding computer equipment underneath. As he opened his mouth, he heard Pidge yell from outside the office, "Rabbit!"

Hunk ran out and yelled at the fleeing figure who ran towards the front door, "Garrison PD. Stop." He gave chase, but when Bogh reached the door, Pidge swung it inward, hitting the suspect in the face knocking him down on the floor.

As Hunk rolled him over handcuffing him, Pidge picked up a device that looked like a wristwatch. "What's this?" she asked as it beeped, and a message flashed across the screen out loud. "Nineteenth hole, PCC?"

Hunk glanced up, "Puig Country Club."

Bogh glared at both cops. "I think she broke my nose," he whined.

"That's the least of your worries," Hunk growled as he yanked the man up to his feet. He turned to Pidge and grinned, "Nice save with the door."

Pidge grinned, "It was nothing."


	7. Hijacked Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SWAT finally figures out what Zarkon is up to.

Two huge black SUV's pulled into the parking lot of the country club. Shiro, fully geared, jumped out of the driver's side of one of the vehicles. "Curtis, Lance check out the A-side. We have no idea which car they're after. As soon as these guys pop up, we hit them."

Rax added, "They won't go down easy, so we got to strike fast."

As they moved through the lot, Shiro spotted a familiar looking car from some of the reports of the other carjacking's. "Right there," he said. "It's the same description as their getaway car."

Rax placed his fingerless-gloved hand down on the hood. "This is it. The hood's still warm." He spun around as an engine started.

Shiro called out, "Eyes!"

The engine revved, as it backed out of a parking slot and sped down the row of cars. Shiro caught the glint of sun flashing off metal. "Gun!"

Shots rang out from the car as one of the perps aimed at the SWAT officers. Shiro and Rax dropped down behind cars as Curtis returned fire.

A bullet struck Curtis's head which flew backward, and he dropped like a sack of potatoes.

Lance yelled, "Officer down! Curtis are you okay?"

Curtis replied as he stripped off his helmet, "I'm okay. I think they got my helmet."

Shiro knew they didn't have time to check on his fallen team member as he yelled, "Rax, move!"

Lance held his hand up in Curtis's face holding up three fingers. "Hey, how many?"

Curtis glared at Lance, "Get out of here with that."

Shiro and Rax reached one of the SUV's, and both jumped in as Rax slammed his foot down on the gas.

Lance stood up and turned toward the sight of the vehicle with Rax and Shiro in it leaving the parking lot. He mashed down on his radio's talk button. "Shot's fired. Twenty David is in pursuit."

Curtis stood holding his helmet. He swallowed hard as he stared at the hole where the helmet stopped the bullet.

Rax raced after the stolen car. "Damn," Shiro said. "These guys are moving."

As Rax swerved to avoid hitting oncoming cars that were avoiding being hit by the stolen car, "They may have the faster car, but we got the better driver."

Shiro replied with a slight chuckle, "All right, prove it big dog."

The car flew around a corner as the passenger fired his gun out the window.

Shiro yelled, "Gun!" Both he and Rax instinctively ducked down slightly.

Rax spun the wheel of the big black SUV, and the big vehicle jumped the curb. Rax drove across the dirt as he tried to gain on the muscle car.

His skills paid off as the SUV hopped another curb coming out on the road behind the stolen car.

Shiro pulled out a key and placed it into a slot in a device that sat in between the dashboard and a pair of cupholders. He turned the key activating the device. He flipped a switch that activated a rod from under the SUV that extended out with a tip that was more like a miniature grappling hook but looked like the tip of an ancient harpoon. "Three feet," he said as he flipped up the cover over a button.

Rax mashed down the gas pedal as far as it could go.

Shiro said, "One foot." He pressed the launch button, the head fired with a tail of steel cable flying out behind it. The grappling hook hit the wheel holding the back tire, and it clamped into place as the cable wrapped around and through the wheel fouling it up.

Rax slammed on the brakes. The steel cable tightened as the tire on the car in front of them blew, and the car stopped.

The two car thieves jumped out of the car as Shiro and Rax jumped out of the SUV. Shiro yelled, "Garrison P.D. Stop!"

The pair of car thieves ran up to a car that was stopped on the street. The one on the driver's side yanked open the door and shoved his gun in the driver's face. He grabbed the driver pulling him out when Rax caught up to him and pushed the barrel of his gun in the perp's face ordering him to get down on the ground.

Shiro came up behind the second thief and grabbed him. He yanked the thief's arms down and cuffed him. He said, "You're done! Rax are you good?"

"Yeah, got him," he replied as he cuffed the other thief's hands behind his back.

Two squad cars appeared on the scene to take the perps. Shiro and Rax walked back toward the SUV when Rax's eyes caught something powdery on the ground by the fouled-up tire. "What the hell is that?"

Rax reached the car first and knelt. He reached under the wheel well and pulled out a package with more powder that flowed from one end of the package. "Boss take a look," he said as he passed the package off to Shiro.

"Heroin," Shiro replied as he flipped the package over. It had a symbol printed on it that looked like three mountains.

Griffin approached the area where Hunk stood watching as both Garrison P.D. techs and DEA techs scoured over the stolen car. "Hey," Griffin said as he stopped next to Hunk. "I talked to Lieutenant Ozar. The Lamborghini arrived from Panama last week, same as all the other cars."

Hunk turned to face Griffin. "The Heroin must've been loaded in the cars down there."

Griffin stared at all the bags that were still inside the car. "Man, all these cars came in on the same container ship, delivered straight to the buyers."

Hunk's eyebrows scrunched together. "What kind of geniuses pack heroin inside cars that about as discreet as the Kardashians?"

Griffin shrugged. "I don't know."

Hunk frowned, "Something feels off."

"I guess if every car has a haul like this, they not only make millions off the drugs, but they can also unload the parts for tens of thousands on the black market."

Hunk nodded. "So this crew gets paid twice."

"Yeah, if everything goes as planned, they have their cake then sell the plate it was served on."

Captain Romelle drove her car up and parked near the two SWAT officers. As she climbed out of the car, she heard Griffin's comment. "These carjackers aren't done yet. One of my detectives talked to the supervisor who checked in that shipment of vehicles. He's positive there were eight cars on the boat, not seven."

Griffin stared at her. "Wait, so there's another car packed with heroin still out there?"

Hunk ignored Griffin's question and asked, "What kind of vehicle?"

Romelle frowned. "He couldn't tell. It was midnight, and the car was covered. But he swears up and down he counted eight."

Hunk, Griffin, and Romelle turned and walked toward the building that housed SWAT headquarters.

Griffin replied without missing a step, "Well, before these cars come off the ship, they're each assigned a custom's import marker."

Romelle nodded, "Those markers only record a cars make and model, not it's VIN number."

"Yeah, but the make and model is something to go on. I mean, cars this nice, they're rare enough, even here in Four Corners."

Keith stepped into a room of like a cafeteria. The woman he was searching for sat at a table by herself in the corner of the room. As he approached, she gazed at him. He pulled out a chair and sat down.

Her dark eyes stared into his blue-gray eyes. "Go away. I want my privacy."

He leaned forward, "It's okay. There are no cops in sight," he said as he caught the glint of recognition in her gaze.

"Who are you? And who sent you?" she asked.

He took a glance around the room, looking for any surveillance cameras or anyone watching them. He turned back to her. "It doesn't matter who sent me. I'm to get you out of here. Sendak was released from prison."

Her eyes narrowed. "Sendak." She frowned. "I helped take him down." She leaned back in her chair that creaked with her body then leaned forward. "When did you plan on leaving?"

"As soon as possible."

Lance found Shiro and handed off a report to him. Shiro's eyes roamed over the paper as a chuckle slipped from between his lips. One of Lance's eyebrows rose.

Shiro glanced up as his team member. "Griffin stepped up to the plate today. Nothing lights him up more than fast cars."

Lance added his chuckle to Shiro's as they walked through headquarters. "Well, today's his day."

"Right," Shiro replied. "Hey, how'd Curtis seem when he got back?"

"He seemed fine. He filed an incident report and went back out with Matt's team. They found the dump site for the rest of the stolen vehicles. There were six sets of tire tracks, but no rides, and no bad guys."

Rax joined them. "Hey, you got anything useful from the boys in the Lamborghini?"

Shiro shook his head. "One's in surgery, thanks to a well-aimed shot from Lance while the car was moving."

Lance preened. "I am the sharpshooter."

Shiro let out a quick chuckle and clapped Lance on the shoulder. He turned toward Rax. "One's in surgery. The other is being booked, but he's not talking."

Rax slapped a hand against his thigh, "Same as the guy who was hacking the GPS satellites. He's already lawyered up."

Lance glanced between the two men. "The D.A. couldn't cut a deal to find out which drug ring these guys worked for?"

"No," Rax replied. "And the chem test they did on that heroin doesn't match anything in the DEA's database, neither does the label. I mean they think whoever's importing it is new to the scene."

Shiro glanced at both of his team members. "Well, whoever they are, they have resources, and they're making noise. Get narcotics in, find out what they've heard on the street.

Lance nodded, "I'm on it."

Lance was informed that his friend was waiting for him. He couldn't wipe the grin off his face as he approached. "Tavo, it's good to see you," he said as both men shook hands.

Tavo's deep but clear voice rang as he greeted the sniper of SWAT. "Good to see you. Belated congrats on making it into SWAT."

"Thanks," Lance replied as he led the way to SWAT's evidence room.

Tavo turned his head toward the other man. "You said you had a question you wanted to ask me in person?"

"Yeah, I want to show you something. You ever hear of the cartels pushing their heroin using imported cars?"

Lance's question got Tavo's attention. "Can't say I have, but I can run it by my team."

They stopped in front of the door to the evidence room. As Lance fished out the key and unlocked the door, he said, "Have them take a look at this too. The drugs we picked up all have the logo of three mountains on them."

Tavo sucked in a breath. "That's a volcano. An old mobster, Ranvieg, my source said he talked about pushing this new stuff he called 'Volcano.'"

Lance rubbed at the back of his head, "So he's got to be behind this."

Tavo shook his head. "Not likely. He was found executed Mafia style last week in San Pedro. But rumor has it he was working behind the scenes for Zarkon."

Lance stood in front of the big screen. "According to Tavo, Ranveig decided he was going out on his own. He stole Zarkon's heroin and re-labeled it and diverted it here using luxury cars."

Commander Iverson gazed the sniper. "He must have thought he'd given Zarkon the slip."

Rax replied, "He thought wrong. Zarkon wouldn't cut his losses."

Lance nodded as he pressed a button showing a guy laying in the grass next to a car with several stab wounds to the chest with the word traitor written in blood on the side of the vehicle. "No. Instead, Zarkon cuts up the ones who screw him."

Allura frowned. "Traitor. The worst thing you can be to the mob other than a cop." Her insides ran cold as she thought of Keith and the DEA agent inside Zarkon's organization.

Lance added, "By the time they figured out what Ranvieg had done with the heroin, the cars had already been delivered to their owners."

Commander Iverson rubbed a hand along his jaw. "So Zarkon hired car thieves and a hacker to steal back their product."

Lance pressed another button bringing up another picture on the screen.

Allura gazed at the man with nice features. "Who's the pretty boy?"

"That's Plytox, Zarkon's hit man. Interpol believes he's killed at least thirty people worldwide."

Allura folded her arms across her chest. "We still have no idea where Zarkon's actual base is." She stopped to consider what actions needed to be carried out. "Put out an alert to all airports in the area in case they try to flee."

Rax replied as he glanced over his shoulder at her. "I got a feeling they're not done yet."

Commander Iverson added as Rax began to walk away. "I agree."

Allura's phone rang. She walked away from Iverson and Lance as he pulled it out of her suit jacket pocket, glanced at the caller, and put it up to her ear. "Pidge, are you at the import lot?"

"We just left. We got the make and model of the last car off the shipment, a silver Ferrari 458."

Allura replied, "We'll start pulling GPS signals for every matching car in the area."

Hunk's voice came over the phone. "The manufacturer said their satellite was breached by someone fishing for the same intel. They said it's going to take a while to get the signal back online."

Allura's eyes narrowed. "How'd Zarkon hack a satellite when we have his hacker in custody." She paused for a moment as the thought struck her. "Wait what about Griffin's friend?"


	8. Hijacked Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrison PD goes after members of Zarkon's crew who are trying to steal the last car.

Griffin walked toward the garage. "Te-Osh, you here?"

He strode into the garage, expecting to find Te-Osh working on the motorcycle where she'd been earlier. The room was full of motorcycle parts, cabinets, workspace, and file cabinets along the walls. He looked around, but there was no sign of the woman. He stepped out of the garage and headed for the small shotgun house where she lived.

He just knew something was wrong when he found the front door standing wide open. He glanced around inside the small kitchen area where his eyes were drawn to broken glass on the floor and several drops of blood on the counter.

Griffin pulled his service revolver from its holster. "Garrison P.D." he called out as he walked down the main hall of the house making a quick inspection of the home finding it empty. He grabbed his radio mike from his shoulder and brought it to his face depressing the talk button with his thumb. "Twenty-four David to Command. I need a unit and a supervisor to respond to 1710 Lovell Avenue. Probable abduction."

 

Griffin leaned over the computer island in the Lion's Den as Shiro approached. He glanced up at his team leader. "I should've been there. I should've known that Te-Osh would be on Zarkon's radar."

"Zarkon's goons need Te-Osh to track that Ferrari. They're not going to hurt her," Shiro replied.

Griffin frowned, "Not yet." He paused as he finally gave voice to what plagued his mind. "As soon as they get their hands on that last car, they'll get rid of her."

Shiro's strong yet warm voice softened, "We're gonna do whatever we can to keep that from happening."

Griffin leaned forward, placing his hand to the back of his head as he tried to believe his leader.

"None of this is your fault, kid." Shiro straightened up, standing tall as a small smile tugged at the corner his mouth. "You know I never figured the two of you for friends."

Griffin gazed up at Shiro. "You know, when I was younger, most of my friends were losers. Not a lot of brains in that crowd. You know what I mean?"

Shiro nodded and motioned for Griffin to continue.

"Then Commander Iverson gave me some advice. He said that if you—"

Shiro couldn't stop himself. "If you feel like the smallest person in the room, then you're in the wrong room."

A small grin tugged at Griffin's lips as Shiro added, "He told me that too."

"Ever since then, I try to hang with people who make me up my game, and that's Te-Osh. She just…" Griffin stated as moisture collected in his eyes and he sucked in a breath. "She functions on a higher bandwidth, like Pidge, and once you get to know her, she's a good woman. She went to the mat for me when she didn't have to. She saved my life."

"All right, let's hope she uses whatever tools she's got at her disposal to reach us."

Griffin glanced down at the island again for a moment but raised his head again to look back up at Shiro. "And what's Plan B?"

Shiro gazed back at Griffin. "We get Pidge to track this car."

Griffin nodded.

 

Bogh sat at the table in the interrogation room with his handcuffed hands resting on the tabletop. "Look, I've seen enough films to know not to get in between mobsters and money."

Pidge stared back at him. "This is your last chance to talk. Give us something we can go on."

"I've got nothing else to say," Bogh said. The remnants of dried blood on his upper lip where Pidge had hit him in the face with the door at the autobody shop when he tried to escape.

Hunk placed his hands on the table as he leaned in toward Bogh. "Our techs are going through the equipment you used to trace these cars."

Pidge glared at Bogh trying her mean face. "As soon as we find what we're after, you'll have zero leverage with the D.A. None."

Bogh leaned back in his chair. "I bet your after the Ferrari 458. Listen, I'm a decent hacker, but only a genius can track a car without a GPS transponder inside."

Hunk's eyebrows drew together as he stared back at Bogh. "Someone who can afford a ride like that doesn't want the ability to locate it. That makes no sense."

Bogh sat up in the chair. "Makes no sense. Whoever customized the car paid to import it illegally, wants it off the grid. Probably some ex-con out on parole is hiding his assets. A better hacker can find a way to locate it, but I can't. Go figure, right? A car loaded with heroin winds up being driven by a criminal who has no idea what he's sitting on."

Pidge couldn't help it, but she had to ask it anyway. "What kind of bad guy is even rich enough to buy wheels like that in the first place, huh?"

Bogh stared at her with a smirk while he rolled his eyes. "You're joking, right?"

 

Allura stood next to Marco as he entered commands into the computer. "Every ex-con living in the area in a million plus residence," she pointed to the red colored dots on the screen.

Rax nodded, "Of those homes, here are the ones with one or more registered vehicles costing over a hundred grand."

Griffin pointed at a dot that was blinking. "What's going on there?"

Rax shrugged. "It just a home detention monitor that got tripped. Uniforms will go by and check it out."

Commander Iverson turned his gaze to Griffin. "What, you think it means something?"

Griffin glanced around at the others in the room. "Te-Osh knows how to hack into those systems. Whoever lives in that house, Te-Osh is using their detention monitor to signal us."

Rax asked, "Are you sure?"

Griffin shook his head. "No, but what if she is?"

Allura decided for everyone else. "Get down there."

 

Rax drove the Black Lion as the siren wailed. Shiro held his tablet. He read off the information. "All right 27502 Chestnut Ridge. Residence of one Diesel Woods and six associates who have healthy rap sheets of their own."

Pidge gazed at Shiro. "The Diesel Woods, rapper-slash-mogul?"

Shiro gazed back at her. "Slash convicted felon, yeah."

"He's gonna have his entire posse there," Pidge replied.

Shiro nodded, "That's why we have backup following in the Red Lion."

Rax commented from the driver's seat. "Fully loaded probably, too."

Hunk asked from the passenger seat. "Who's he roll with?"

Shiro was quick with the reply as his fingers worked at tightening the chin strap on his helmet. "The 20th Street Rebels."

Griffin added from his bench seat across from Shiro. "Woods' crew might be the one group crazy enough to shoot it out with the mob."

Rax replied, "Yeah, and they'll have the firepower to do it. Zarkon's crew has no clue what they're walking into."

Shiro reached up and grabbed the handrail above his head as his body was jostled around. "So that's why no one makes a move until we're sure Zarkon's crew has made theirs. Now reports show that Woods spent the past few years turning this place into a fortified playpen. Things could heat up fast."

Griffin gazed at his teammates. "And Te-Osh is right in the middle of it."

Pidge gripped Griffin's forearm. "We'll get to her in time."

Griffin sucked in a breath through his nose, forcing himself to calm his screaming nerves.

 

As the Black Lion was pulled up to a stop where the gate to the mansion should have sat blocking any traffic from the street from getting onto the property. The second SWAT Bearcat pulled up to a stop. Rax said as he jumped down from the driver's seat. "Looks like somebody left in a hurry."

Both teams moved out on foot.

Griffin's eyes locked onto a jacket that sat on the ground by the backseat of a car. "That jacket, that's Te-Osh's."

Shiro glanced at Griffin. If they broke in the house, they probably took Te-Osh with them."

"We got to get to her," Griffin's voice held a note of tension in it.

"Come on," Shiro said as some gunfire erupted from inside the house. Both men slid in behind Matt Holt. "Matt line us up."

 

Shiro's team crept across the grass toward the mansion.

Hunk and Pidge split away from Shiro, Lance, and Rax while Griffin moved up under a tree which gave him a view through a window of a second story room. "Twenty-four David, I got visual on Te-Osh in an upstairs room."

Shiro's voice came over his earpiece. "Is anyone with her?"

"Two of 'em. I think one is Plytox."

"All right see if you guys can get to her from the A-side with Matt's team. We'll head upstairs around back." Shiro motioned for Lance and Rax to follow him.

They entered through the backdoor. Shiro held up a hand with two fingers showing and motioned forward. Rax slid around him and stepped onto the carpeted stairs leading the way to the second story.

As they reached the top of the stairs, Rax and Shiro headed down the hallway. Lance stopped as he heard the dull thud of a fist meeting flesh. He turned to investigate.

 

Matt and Shay found the garage with Pidge and Hunk in tow. Shay, Hunk, and Pidge searched the large room for anyone who might be hiding. Matt leaned over, admiring the car. "Damn, she's a beauty."

 

Rax and Shiro entered the room where one of Zarkon's goons was working over one of Woods' associates. Another stood watching by the doorway. Rax grabbed him and slammed him into the wall.

Shiro yelled, "Garrison PD! Drop your weapon!"

The man stood up and pointed his gun at Shiro who pressed his finger to the trigger firing off two shoots dropping the goon where he stood. Shiro moved forward and kicked the gun away from him.

 

Griffin ducked into a closet. He frowned at his primary weapon. The firing pin was jammed. He dropped his rifle and pulled his service revolver. He leaned out into the open but dove for the floor when a figure stood from across the room, and rapid automatic fire came from the other man's weapon.

Griffin crawled across the floor when his peripheral vision caught sight of Curtis by the doorway. He shouted, "Curtis, cover me."

He rushed across the room as Curtis' weapon fired. He stood up and put three bullets into the chest of the assailant. He shuddered, amazed at how he'd hit his target. But weapons training with Lance was paying off.

He walked through another doorway and crept up the second set of stairs. How many stairs did this house have? He wondered.

 

Lance walked down a hallway checking doors. He placed his hand on the knob and tried to turn it, finding it locked. As the hall curved, he walked around the bend when one of Zarkon's goons rushed out of a room and slammed the sharpshooter into a wall.

Lance grunted, but he shoved against the other man who threw a punch, but it only glanced off the sharpshooter's helmet. Lance wrapped his arm around the other man's head and held him in a headlock, raised his knee, and jammed it into the other man's abdomen. He raised his arm and slammed it across his adversaries back.

The other man got his hands-on Lance's waist and picked him up, ramming him into the wall. Lance let out another grunt as he fought to keep the air in his lungs.

Lance grabbed him and ran pushing both himself and his adversary across the hall into a room where the carpet caused them both to lose their footing, and they fell to the floor.

Panting, Lance rose from the floor at the same time as his opponent. Lance rushed forward and grabbed the other man slamming him down on the edge of the fireplace with hands on the other man's throat.

The other man reached up and shoved Lance's helmet off. He reached up, trying to get the SWAT officer off of him. His fingers roamed over Lance's face trying to gouge him in the eyes.

Lance brought his arm up again and brought his balled-up fist down in the man's face three times.

The other man shifted his weight, and they both rolled onto the floor with Lance on the bottom. The man put his hands around the sharpshooter's throat. Lance trying to catch his breath drew his legs up underneath his adversary and shoved with all his might. The other man flew to the floor only a foot or two away from the sharpshooter.

They got to their feet at the same time, and Lance caught sight of the sliding glass doors as the other man grabbed him. The SWAT sniper tried to dig his heels into the carpet, but the other man got some momentum behind him, and they both crashed through the sliding glass doors and flew off the second story balcony into the pool below.

The other man managed to pull out his gun as both men started pulling themselves out of the inground pool. He pointed it toward Lance, who managed to kick it out of the man's hand.

Lance got to his feet first with water dripping off him. The other man got up on his knees, sucking in a few quick gulps of air.

Lance rushed forward with a scream and slammed into the other man's body with his knee. The other man got on his feet. The sharpshooter grunted as he threw a punch but missed the mark. The other man bobbed almost like a boxer and threw a punch that connected with Lance's jaw.

He grabbed Lance around the waist and dropped him hand on the concrete. The sharpshooter groaned and as he tried to roll the other man, grabbed the back of his vest with both hands and drug him over to the edge of the pool. Grabbing the back of the sharpshooters head, he shoved it down into the water.

Lance only had a moment to close his eyes and gulp in air as his face plunged into the water. His muscles bunched up in his arms and legs, forcing himself backward against the increasing weight on the back of his head. His head rose out of the water, and he threw a backward punch knocking the other man down who got back up and released a yell as he rushed forward. But Lance braced himself and grabbed the man by his arm and jacket and threw him down on a wooden poolside table.

The wood of the table creaked and groaned for a quick second before it broke and splintered crashing to the concrete. The other man didn't move as Lance rolled him over and cuffed his hands behind his back.

Lance sat down and wiped a hand over his face. He grimaced as he gingerly touched his aching jaw as his breath rushed in and out of this chest like a blacksmith's bellow.

 

From two separate areas of the house, both Shiro and Griffin heard a female voice screaming, "Please, please help!"

Shiro was first in the room. As he entered brandishing his rifle in front of him, "Garrison PD! SWAT!"

He did a quick inspection of the room and stopped bending down over the woman. "Te-Osh, it's okay. We got you."

Griffin entered the room and checked the bathroom. "Bathroom's clear," he said.

Shiro asked as he gazed at the woman who's arms, and legs were duct taped together. "Plytox. Where'd he go?"

"The garage. He's after the Ferrari."

Shiro moved away as Griffin began to remove the duct tape from Te-Osh. Shiro put his hand on his mic and turned his head toward his shoulder. "Matt, Plytox is heading your way. Don't take any chances. He's dangerous."

He heard Matt's reply through the earpiece. "10-4. I've got Hunk and Pidge here along with Shay."

"Yeah," Pidge agreed. "I hope Plytox can get here soon. Matt keeps on drooling over this Ferrari."

Shiro chucked at Pidge's needling of her brother. He replied over the radio. "Cut the chatter." He raised his eyes to the ceiling and muttered, "siblings."

 

The door to the connected garage opened as Plytox began to rush in.

The SWAT officers jumped out of the darkness. "Freeze, Plytox."

Plytox was slow at complying and raising his hands. But when he did a gun came up in his hand pointing toward Matt.

Pidge was quick on the trigger, firing a shot hitting Plytox in the shoulder. She rushed over kicking the gun out of his reach. She flipped him over, securing his hands behind his back. "Hurts like a bitch, doesn't it?" she asked. Not waiting for a reply, she said, "Non-lethal rounds always do."

 

Griffin stood in Te-Osh's little kitchen. "We'll keep a couple of officers on the street tonight."

"Great," she replied as she pulled open the refrigerator door.

"How are you feeling?"

Te-Osh shuddered. "I've been better. But, uh, it could've been worse. How are you feeling?" she asked as she pulled out a couple of beers.

Griffin shrugged. "Same."

"Right," she passed him one of the beer bottles and crossed the small room to the table.

"Thanks."

Te-Osh groaned as she dropped into one of the kitchen chairs at the small table. She pressed the bottle against the bruise and long cut on the side of her face, which now bore stitches.

Griffin gazed at her. "Who would've thought that knowing how to break out of a court-issued ankle monitor could save your life?"

Te-Osh giggled. She gazed at him. "This is like, what you do every day? Cause that's crazy."

Griffin grinned. "No. Only when I'm lucky."

"Listen. I don't want to keep you here if you've got something to do."

"No, I'm happy to hang out here."


	9. Captured

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is captured by Lotor. How will the team get him back and will he be in one piece?

I don't own Voltron Legendary Defender. I'm taking the characters out for a spin. 

 

Keith and Krolia slipped out of the building. Darkness surrounded them as they made their way toward the lot where Keith's car sat. He turned at the sound of several boots striking the ground in fast pursuit of the pair of law enforcement officials.

As he and Krolia sped up their pace, he reached into his jeans pocket and fished out his keys. "Take these," he said as he passed them over to his mother. "I'll do what I can to hold them off. You need to get out of here."

Krolia took the keys from his outstretched hand. "What about you?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll get back to the Garrison somehow. You need to get your intel to SWAT and the DEA."

Krolia gave him a quick nod as she said, "Be careful." She took off for the lot as fast as her long legs could carry her.

Keith pulled out his handgun. His hand gripped g the hard-plastic grip and turned squeezing off a shot dropping one of his pursuers. He glanced over his shoulder as he watched his mom drive away.

Turning back around, he came face to face with Zethrid. She didn't say a word as her eyes hardened. Instead, she hefted the baseball bat she carried and swung it impacting with the side of Keith's face dropping him like a sack of potatoes.

Lotor stepped up next to her. "Looks like Sendak was right and this one helped our real rat getaway," he shoved Keith's unconscious body with the toe of his boot.

"What do we do about him?" Zethrid stared down at Keith.

"Take him to the plant." Lotor held up a hand. "Don't kill him yet. Father wants to know everything he knows. He's sure he's law enforcement."

She sneered down at Keith. "This will be fun."

 

Shiro pulled his car into his preferred parking space. He turned off the ignition and pulled his keys out. Climbing out he was attracted by the flash of sunlight glinting off metal. He turned around as Keith's car appeared on the lot. His eyes homed onto the driver, expecting to see the man he loved as his brother behind the wheel, but it was a woman driving.

His eyes narrowed as he removed the strap securing his service revolver to his hip. Adrenaline rushed through his veins. His eyes kept her in his gaze as she parked the car in a space.

Shiro strode over to the car as his breath quickened and his stomach began to tie itself into a knot. He reached the car as she climbed out. He grabbed the top of the door with his left hand while he rested his right hand on the hard-plastic butt of his gun. "Who the hell are you and what are doing with my brothers' car."

Krolia closed her eyes for a quick moment. She opened them again. "I don't have time for this. The officer undercover within Zarkon's organization may need our help."

"What do you mean?" Shiro asked.

Krolia jabbed herself in the chest as she stared back at him and leaned forward. "I'm the one he was sent to get out of there. I have information that both SWAT and the DEA need to take down Zarkon's organization once and for all."

"What do you know about Keith?" Shiro's grip tightened. His nerves sang as his muscles bunched up.

"Keith," Krolia whispered. Her eyes widened as she mentally aged the picture she carried of her son. She carved her hands through her hair as she held it back and released it. Her arms fell to her sides.

"My son," Krolia whispered, but her words carried to Shiro's ears.

Shiro's eyes widened as he finally put her face to the pictures Keith had shown him. "Krolia?" he asked.

She nodded. "You know who I am?"

Shiro's eyes softened as he moved his hand away from his sidearm. "Yes, Keith talks of you often."

Krolia averted her gaze as she stared down at the pavement under her feet. "I wish my work didn't take me away from him," She covered her face with her hands as she dropped to her knees.

Shiro saw movement out of his peripheral vision and turned his head in the direction of a Garrison patrol officer heading in their direction. They could be terrible gossips, and he was sure Krolia wouldn't take it well for the officer spreading the story of what he saw in the lot.

Shiro stepped around the door and knelt next to Krolia. "Let's get you inside," he said as he placed his hands on her shoulders and helped her stand. "I need Keith's keys to lock his car up."

She passed them over, and Shiro shut the door and then locked it. He placed an arm around her shoulders and led her into SWAT's command building. He led her down a battleship gray hall and into a room that was the cafeteria where everyone who worked long hours could step in and make themselves something to eat. The refrigerator was stocked with water, juice, and energy drinks. Coffee was always on hand, and tea could be made in the microwave or on the stove.

A large stainless-steel table sat in the middle of the room. Shiro pulled out one of the bar stools that sat under the table. He motioned for Krolia to sit down.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"A cup of black coffee would be nice."

Shiro walked over to the cabinet that hung on the wall and opened the door. Pulling out a coffee mug, he shut the door and took the steps over to the coffee maker. He poured a cup. As Shiro placed the cup down in front of her, a slight smiled tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I can't guarantee how fresh it is."

A slight smile graced her face. "It can't be any worse than that sludge Zarkon's people drink." She gazed down at the black liquid resting in the white mug. She rolled the cup in her hands. "When Keith was little, I swore that nothing would take me away from him. But Zarkon's case came across my desk. Just reading about how many lives and families he destroyed with his poison, I couldn't let it happen again. That's when I went undercover."

She picked up the cup and took a sip as she closed her eyes and hummed with pleasure. "This is so good." She set the cup back down, and she raised her dark eyes to meet his dark gray eyes. "What did you mean when you said bother."

"Ah, you caught that. It is a long story, but I met Keith when I was a rookie on the force. I had just got out of the marines and went straight into the academy. Keith fell into a wrong crowd, but I gave him a second chance."

Krolia reached out and grasped Shiro's hand. "I'm glad you did. I know his grandfather tried, but he wasn't in the best of health when I went undercover."

"He's better. Keith checks in with Kolivan every week."

Both Krolia and Shiro held the other's hand, wishing Keith would walk in at any minute.

 

The cold of the floor seeped into his bones as he groaned followed by the stench of old blood that no amount of bleach could kill. His head ached along with his jaw where the bat had impacted. He blinked his eyes several times, adjusting to the semi-darkness around him.

A voice came from the darkness around him. "It's about time you woke up."

Keith tried to focus on who spoke. It took several moments for his addled brain to put a name to the voice. Lotor.

"Girls get him on his feet. You don't need to worry about being gentle."

Hands grabbed at Keith, yanking him to his feet. He blinked his eyes again as his stomach twisted and bile burned at the back of his throat. He focused on the man who spoke who sat in a chair in front of him holding a gun in his hand.

"We'll try this the easy way," Lotor's smooth voice drifted to Keith's ears. "Who are you and who do you work for."

Keith glared back at the man who liked to sit in the shadows. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do. Pity." Lotor replied. "I hoped this would go easy. I can see I was wrong again." Lotor stood rising to his full height. "We have ways of dealing with stubborn people."

 

Shiro and Krolia sat in Captain Allura's office. Allura closed her eyes as she replayed the verbal report in her mind. Her eyes opened. She folded her hands together on her desk but clenched her fingers together so hard that her knuckles almost turned white. "So, you are telling me that one of my officers has not returned, and that means he could be in Zarkon's hands?"

Shiro nodded, "Yes."

She stood and strode over to her window and stared out at the desert in the distance. She raised her hand and slammed it on the windowsill. "Why couldn't the DEA get you out?" she said as she whirled around eyes staring hard at the other woman in the room.

"I get it," Shiro replied from the chair he sat in, "you're angry. For that matter I'm angry too, but not at Krolia. She was trying to do good, but things got out of hand."

"Out of hand?" Allura asked as her voice rose. Her nostrils flared as her gaze turned cold and hard. "I'm so angry with myself for even allowing this to happen."

Krolia's cell phone rang. She stood up and moved away from the pair of SWAT people. Whispering with the person on the other end, she hung up the phone and turned to face the pair. "That was my CI asset within Zarkon's organization. They have Keith. Where she doesn't know. But she's going to investigate for me."

Shiro immediately shot to his feet as spots danced before his eyes. He reached out and grasped the arm of the chair to steady himself as adrenaline raced through his bloodstream. "I've got to see Pidge. She inserted a miniature tracker into his arm. She might have a location."

"Who is Pidge?" Krolia asked.

"Our tech expert," he replied as he took two quick steps to Krolia's side and grasped her arm. "Let's go," he said, not giving her a chance to say no.

 

Keith shivered as the cold concrete chilled his body. He rested on his knees with his arms over his head. His wrists zip-tied together, and zip-tied to a meat hook. His body was littered with blossoming bruises along with several places where the skin had split over his ribs on his sides.

Zethrid had enjoyed delivering the pain to him. To anyone looking at him, he appeared semi-conscious as his mind worked to figure out a way to get out of this predicament.

Where was he going to run to clad in only his boxers? What would Shiro do? He mumbled to himself as he heard bootheels striking the concrete heading his way. Voices came from the same direction.

He recognized the gruff voice as belonging to Zethrid. "Why don't we just kill him and get it over with?"

"Because of my father," a sigh reached Keith's ears. Was this discontent coming from one of Lotor's troops? Maybe he could use it to his advantage.

Lotor spoke again. "We've had this discussion before. You and Ezor find something to do. I've got to persuade our guest to tell me who he is."

Keith had no idea what was in store for him next as Lotor strode into the room looking like the cat that ate the canary.

Lotor glanced over at the SWAT officer. "I know this is a crude way of torture, but I do need to know who you are and who you work for. That is before my father loses his patience. His form of torture is even cruder and uglier."

He pulled a long strip of leather from his pocket and dipped it into a bucket of water that sat nearby. He turned to face Keith as he pressed a button on the wall next to him which activated the hydraulic wench which raised the chain pulling the SWAT officer up to his feet. Lotor pressed a second button stopping it.

Lotor stared at him. "You know, just before a man dies his pride vanishes."

Keith glared back. "Big talk, but your still scum just like your father, Zarkon." His voice cracked from his thirst.

Lotor chuckled. "I suppose coming from you I should take that as a compliment. But we'll see what you have to say in about a half an hour," as his upper lip slid back. He closed the distance between himself and Keith, raised his arm and threw it forward. The leather strap slapped into the prisoner's back.

Keith closed his eyes, grit his teeth together and clamped his lips shut as his body jerked as the improvised lash bit into his skin. There was no way he was going to give Lotor the pleasure of hearing him scream. He waited for his chance, and as Lotor moved around him, hitting other areas on his body, he found his opportunity. Keith faked a stumble and slammed his arm into Lotor's chest, hoping that was enough pressure to activate the S.O.S. feature of the tracker in his arm.

Lotor shoved him off to the side and continued with the lashing.

 

Shiro with Krolia in tow rushed into the smallest member of his teams' lab. "Pidge, do you have a location on Keith?" he asked as he lost some of his ability to concentrate and his body tingled hoping that her answer was yes.

Pidge shook her head. "No, I lost his signal," she replied as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm sorry, Shiro," she said, but then her eyes grew as a dot flashed on her screen. "Wait! The S.O.S. ping just went off. I have his location," she crowed.

Commander Iverson, drawn by the commotion, asked, "Have a location on who or what?"

Shiro turned to face him. "Keith."

Iverson stared back at Shiro now came the risky part. "How do you plan on getting him out without him being killed?"

Shiro crossed his arms over his chest. "Pidge, bring up the specs for that building."

Pidge did as she was told. She focused in on the building in question. "It's an abandoned slaughterhouse," she said as she stared at the blueprints on her screen.

Rax, Griffin, Hunk, and Lance joined them. They stared at the map. Lance leaned over to Rax, "Lot's of in's and out's."

Rax nodded as he pointed at the screen. "Lot's of places to hide."

Lance glanced around the room at the others. "They'll be on the doors. If we go in too hot," he let what he was going to say unsaid, but Shiro knew what he meant.

Shiro studied the floor plan. "We breach from the roof and get the drop on them."

Iverson placed his hands on his hips. He couldn't deny it was a sound plan. "I'll have Matt's team set up a net outside. They'll catch anyone trying to make a break for it. Your team runs breach and recovery. Let's get our man back."

Shiro turned his gaze to his team. "Let's move." He glanced at Krolia, who nodded his way, but her eyes spoke volumes. They said for him to bring her son home.

Pidge stopped, and Shiro had to put on the breaks to keep from trampling his tech expert. She turned to face him. "Do I still get stuck with the non-lethal rounds?"

Shiro to his credit didn't sigh or grip the bridge of his nose. "We've had this discussion before, and the answer is still no. Besides, I don't want to come face to face with your mother. That woman is scary when she's angry."

Pidge shuddered. "Don't I know it."

 

Hunk using a metal vapor torch cut through the metal grate that covered a shaft leading down into the slaughterhouse. As he finished cutting through one side, Rax grabbed the grill to hold it steady as Hunk continued cutting through the metal.

Lance let out a low chuckle. "That thing looks like a lightsaber."

Hunk released his soft laugh at Lance's comment. He cut through the last slat of the metal grate, and Rax pulled the grill up and moved it to the side out of their way.

Pidge secured the black rope she carried onto a nearby pipe. She used the line to lower herself down the shaft to the floor below.

Once everyone on the team was in the slaughterhouse, Shiro tapped Rax on the shoulder. He motioned toward the hall.

Rax nodded as the others filed out, each member covering each other's backs. They split up into teams of two. Shiro and Lance, Hunk and Griffin, Pidge and Rax. Each team member crept through the hall none of them daring to make a sound.

 

Hunk and Griffin moved down a hallway with ceramic tile lining the walls which you would find in a bathroom shower. A man stepped out of one of the rooms. He stopped and turned his head, but before he could shout out, a warning, Hunk squeezed off a shot felling him.

 

Rax and Pidge stepped into another area finding an unbelievable sight. Two women were throwing what looked like pieces of bricks at two men. One of the men ran for a gun as his eye locked onto Rax.

The Swat officer took him down with three shots.

The larger of the two women turned to aim her piece of brick at Rax. Pidge squeezed off several rounds taking the large female down.

The smaller one dropped her brick and held up her hands.

 

Hunk and Griffin attracted by the gunshots moved toward the area where Rax and Pidge were. Griffin saw a man trying to sneak up behind Hunk with a knife in his hand.

Griffin came up behind him and shoved the business end of his rifle in the man's back and yelled, "Drop it now! Down on your knees!"

Hunk spun around alerted by Griffin's voice. A gust of air broke through his mouth as heard and saw the knife fall to the concrete floor with a metallic clatter. "Thanks, man."

 

Shiro with Lance behind him turned a corner. His jaw clamped together as he saw the scene before him. At this point, he wanted to get his hands on Lotor and rip the man apart. Instead, he pushed his feelings down and did his job. "Garrison PD SWAT," he announced as loud as possible.

Lotor's head shot up as his eyes grew. He spun around and ran like a rabbit trying to escape a fox. Lance yelled, "I got him, Shiro. Check on Keith!"

Lance raced after Lotor down the hallway and brought his rifle up. His aim was true as he squeezed off a shot hitting Lotor in the ass.

Lotor stumbled and fell as Lance reached him. "Stay down!" he ordered.

Lotor craned his head around glaring up at the SWAT officer. "Did you have to shoot me there?"

Lance chuckled as he straddled the other man and pulled out a pair of cuffs and slapped the bracelets on Lotor's wrists. "Would you rather I put one in the back of your head?"

"I suppose you have a point."

 

"Keith," Shiro whispered as he rushed over to his second in command. He pulled out his tactical knife and slipped it through the binding on Keith's wrists severing the plastic zip ties while making sure he didn't touch the younger man's skin.

Keith's body sagged as he started to fall. Shiro caught him as he knelt beside his brother cradling him in his arms.

Keith's head rested on Shiro's chest as he groaned. One eye was nearly swollen shut as he whispered, "You found me."

Shiro's voice was soft as he replied. "Yeah, I've got you, buddy." He was forced to blink his eyes several times to fight back the moisture that began to collect.

Keith sucked in air as he fought back the pain and raised himself up a little bit. "I didn't talk, Shiro. I didn't tell them anything."

"You did good," Shiro replied. "Rest now."

Shiro got onto his radio, "We've got Keith. Are you good?"

Rax's voice came over speaking into the bud that rested in Shiro's ear. "I have two women in custody, along with several casualties, but we're good."

Lance's voice came over the radio next. "I have Lotor in custody. But he's not happy about it."

Shiro chuckled as he heard Lotor's voice in the background. "You wouldn't be happy either with a bullet in your ass."

"Serves you right," Lance replied.

"Lance we need medical for Keith. Put a rush on it," Shiro replied.


	10. Waiting for News Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is taken to the hospital.

Shiro stood on the sidewalk in front of the slaughterhouse. His eyes focused on the back end of the ambulance that carried Keith from the scene. He wanted no needed to be with the man who was as close to him as a brother could be. He ran a hand through his hair as he fought back the emotions that threatened to spill out at this moment.

Shiro reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out his cell phone. He swiped it and then hit the speed dial function calling one person who might be able to be there with Keith while he was still working.

He put the phone up to his ear as he listened, waiting for someone to answer on the other end. After several moments he was rewarded by a, "Hello?"

"Adam," Shiro said as his voice broke on his husband's name.

"Shiro, what's wrong?"

Shiro sucked in a breath as he fought to keep his emotions under control. He tried speaking again. "Adam, it's Keith…. It's bad."

"Where is he?"

Shiro scrubbed his face with his hand as he turned toward the building. He didn't need his team seeing him if he broke down. "They're taking him to Platte City Hospital."

"I'll be there for him. I've got some vacation time coming that the DA has been badgering me to take."

"Thanks, Adam," Shiro replied.

"He's family, and that's all that matters. I'll call you when I can."

Shiro nodded, "Okay." He sniffed as the tears threatened to fall. "I'll get there as soon as I can get away." He stiffened as he heard boot heels approaching. "I've got to go." He ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pants pocket. He turned to see Rax approaching.

Rax nodded at his team leader. "We've swept the scene over. No one else is in there."

"Anyone talking?"

Rax shook his head. "The only one who had anything to say was Lotor, but he was too busy cussing Lance out."

Shiro couldn't stop the smirk that pulled at his mouth. "If anyone deserved to be shot, it was him. Lance did well."

"So what do we do now?" Rax asked.

"We wait for the crime scene techs to get here to do their job. I have to wonder if Lotor used this place before. If he did, then where are the bodies of his victims."

Rax glanced at Shiro as he shuddered. "That's an ugly thought. Maybe we should check out who owns this property and try to see if that person has any more property that was used as a dump site."

Shiro nodded as he gazed at Rax. "That's a good idea. You know you should have your team."

Rax jerked back his head and stared at Shiro as if his leader had lost his mind. "And stop driving the black lion? No way. I love that beast." He looked away for a moment and turned back around, snapping his fingers. "How about Curtis? He's got just as much experience as I do, and he's good at figuring out things."

"You know," Shiro replied as he gazed at Rax, "that's a good idea. I'll mention it to Allura next time I see her."

"I don't think you have to wait too long," Rax motioned toward a car that looked like Allura's. It pulled up to a stop in front of the pair.

Allura climbed out. "Shiro, I heard about Keith. I'm taking your team off active status right now. I know you all want to be there for him."

"You're right," Shiro replied as he tipped his head back and closed his eyes for a moment. He felt her hand touch his. He raised his head and opened his eyes to gaze into hers. "Captain, there is something I wanted to speak to you about. I know this isn't the best of times, but we need a third team. I think Curtis would make a fine team leader."

Allura nodded as a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "It is a good idea. I have to toss it to Iverson who has to send it up through the chain of command to Sonda." She crossed her arms over her chest, "But there's no guarantee it will be approved."

Rax frowned. "Yeah, Sonda seems to think every department needs a budget cut. Doesn't she realize we're necessary, and having another team means we finally get some downtime."

"If she doesn't I will personally go into her office and make her see that a third team is needed even if I have to ram it down her throat," Allura replied as her eyes flashed. "Now all of you need to go. I have some uniforms coming to take over here."

Shiro took her hand in his for a moment. "Thank you."

Allura shook her head as she gave his hand a slight squeeze before releasing it. "No, thank you for the suggestion."

 

Adam pulled his car into the Emergency lot of the hospital. He glanced up at the sky as purples and shades of gray began to take over the sky as the sun painted bright golds oranges and reds on the clouds as it dipped below the horizon. He closed the door to his car as he tucked his keys into the pocket of his slacks and strode with purpose toward the door that led to the Emergency Department.

Adam strode through the automatic door and was hit by the frigid chill of the AC. He walked up to the intake desk for walk-ins from off the street.

The woman behind the desk didn't look up at him as she slid an ink pen attached to a clipboard with paperwork to be filled out. "Take this over to one of the chairs and fill this out. Bring it back to me when you're finished, and we'll get to you as soon as we can."

He placed a hand down on the clipboard and slid it back toward her. "I'm not here as a patient. I'm here looking for information on someone who was brought in."

She finally brought her eyes up to stare at Adam. And that's when he saw the same reaction he got from every female who didn't know his sexual preference. He gave a slight shake of his head.

He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he stared back at her. "Sorry, but I swing for the other team." He could see the instant that reality struck for the woman as she realized what he meant. "Now about the patient I'm looking for?"

The woman frowned. She replied, "Name?" as her fingers hovered over her computer's keyboard.

Adam's mouth opened when a man dressed in green scrubs and carrying a silver metal file stepped out from the back and announced in a strong tenor voice, "Kogane."

Adam's head shot up and hurried away from the desk to the man. "I'm his brother-in-law."

The man nodded, "Follow me. I have some questions for you that he can't answer for me." He led Adam back into the actual Emergency department that was filled with beeps, squeaky shoes, and lots of people rushing around in controlled chaos. "I'm Doctor Stone. Mr. Kogane has been asking for a Shiro or an Adam."

"I'm Adam. Shiro is his brother."

"I guess that makes you his closest relative right now who's available."

Adam nodded. "Yes. Although I'll have to call his grandfather, when Keith became a little too much for Kolivan to handle Shiro took him in. There is an age difference between there, but it was good for Keith." Adam stopped as he wondered why he was telling this stranger all of this.

Doctor Stone made some notes to the file as the pair stood at the nurse's station in the Emergency Room. He turned his head, so his eyes were now on Adam. "I should warn you before you go in to see Mr. Kogane. He was beaten badly. He has blunt force trauma to his head, so he's in and out of consciousness. He has numerous cuts all over his body which we're going to give him a local so we can get them stitched up. I don't want to give him anything stronger because of the trauma to his head. I suspect a concussion. But there's one thing that concerns me. He has a massive bruise in his kidney area. I want to run some tests, but since he can't seem to focus for more than a few minutes at a time, I need a next of kin to sign for him."

Stone slid the file over to Adam and indicated the areas for him to sign. Adam took the ink pen that Stone offered and wrote his name on the lines indicated. "What kind of tests?" Adam asked.

"I need to get an x-ray and possibly a CT scan of both his head and kidney area. If there is kidney damage, it can be life-threatening."

"I understand. Can I see him now?"

"Yes, but he's going to be sort of out of it." Stone glanced down at his watch. "By now he's been given a local, and we have a team working on stitching him up. I'll check first."

Doctor Stone left Adam and walked back to a glass cubicle with a curtain spread across the doorway and pushed the curtain aside and disappeared inside. Adam wasn't sure what to expect. He tapped his fingers of one of his hands on the desk in time to a monitor that beeped somewhere around him.

He glanced down at the watch on his wrist. About five minutes had passed. He reached a hand up and rubbed at the back of his neck. He couldn't stop thoughts of worst-case scenarios that entered his mind.

He lowered his arm and slid his free hand into the pocket of his suit jacket and felt the cell phone. He held a quiet debate of whether he should call Shiro about Keith yet or not. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and entered his code to unlock it.

He pressed the speed dial number for Shiro's phone. It only rang one time as he heard Shiro's voice from the device. "Adam, how's Keith?"

"The doctor is ordering some tests. It's serious, Shiro. He suspects that Keith has kidney damage."

"Okay, I'm on my way now. Allura let us leave early."

Adam looked up as Stone peeked his head out of the cubicle and motioned for him. "I've got to go, Shiro. His doctor is waving for me."

"Tell Keith to hang in there and take care of him for me."

"Always," Adam replied as he disconnected the call and slid his phone back into his suit jacket pocket.

He raced over as fast as possible without running into or over anyone as he slipped inside the room Stone gazed at Adam. "I can only give you a few minutes with him."

Adam nodded as his gaze slid around the room until finally landing on Keith. He moved over to the younger man's bedside as he gazed at his face, which was paler than usual. He leaned over the bed and placed a hand on Keith's. "Can you hear me? It's Adam."

Though his eyes were still closed, Keith whispered, "Adam?" He forced one eye open, and he blinked several times. "Where am I?" his voice sounded weak. "I can't seem to remember how I got here."

"You're in the hospital," Adam replied.

Keith sucked in a gulp of air. "I feel sick."

One of the machines began to scream.

Doctor Stone pushed Adam aside as he read the readings on the machine. "I'm sorry, but I have to cut your visit short. We're going to have to get him that CT scan now."

Adam's eyes grew as he stared at the doctor, and his voice rose in pitch. "Why? What's wrong?"

"His blood pressure's rising. He's got a possible brain bleed."

Adam whispered, "Brain bleed?" as he watched the race to get Keith out of the room. He barely heard another doctor's name coming out of Stone's mouth but heard the title of neurologist.

A nurse came to his side and put her hand on Adam's arm, guiding him out of the room as Keith was wheeled out. "You can wait over here. Someone will get back to you as soon as possible." She led him to the waiting area and sat him down in a chair before she disappeared.

 

Adam tried to keep his mind occupied as he flipped through the pages of a magazine while his knee bounced. He heard whispers from a couple of women who sat in the same row of chairs down the way from him, but he ignored them.

Squeaky shoes announced a nurse approaching and he looked up to see the same one who'd escorted him out of Keith's room. She sat down in a chair next to him. "Doctor Stone sent me to tell you that he's taking Mr. Kogane to surgery. He has bleeding on the brain and has to have the pressure relieved. But he also needs surgery to repair his kidney."

Adam put his head in his hands as he bent over. Then he raised his head and glanced at the nurse who still sat beside him. "Will he be okay?"

"He's young, and he's strong to have survived whatever happened to him this long. He is dehydrated, but he arrived here on time. So he should pull through, but I'm not a doctor." She rose from the chair and walked away.

Adam leaned over and placed his elbows on his thighs as he clasped his hands together and rested his head on the hands. He closed his eyes and whispered to himself, "Please, Shiro, you need to get here." To any observer in the room, it looked as though he were praying, but he wasn't.

 

Adam leaned back in his chair and pushed back his sleeve to take a look at his wristwatch. Two hours had passed with still no word on Keith. He ran a hand through his sandy blond hair and stood intending to head off in search of a drink.

He took a step and almost walked into a woman who stood in his path. "Excuse me," he said as he turned to walk around her.

The woman in question reached out and grabbed him by his arm. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me why my cousin is cooling his heels in prison. Why did you prosecute an innocent man."

Adam stopped and turned to face her. "I only prosecute people who are guilty."

"Max isn't guilty. You and those police thugs concocted your scheme to put him away and make you look like someone special," her nostrils flared as she spoke.

"I'm sorry, but I can't place the name," Adam said quietly.

"You all said that Max was selling kids to the highest bidder, he'd never do that!" Her voice began to rise as she stamped her foot on the floor.

The name and the case came to him. "I'm sorry, Miss, but he was guilty. He had several children in his custody that he was selling on the internet to the highest bidder. When he was found by SWAT, they cornered him, and he held a gun to one of the children's head's threatening to kill the child. It was dumb luck that the child had a makeshift weapon in his hand and stabbed Max with it to get out of his grip. And one other thing, all those children thought they had been brought to America for a better life not to be sold on the black market for sex." Adam's eyes flashed as his temper began to rise. If there was one crime, he loathed more than drugs. It was the abuse of children.

"No he didn't," she screamed as she drew her hand back aiming to slap him in the face, but Adam was a little slow in catching her arm as her nails scratched his face. One of the nurses at the station picked up the receiver of a phone and pressed a button on it, speaking quickly into the mouthpiece.

The furious woman yanked her arm out of Adam's grip and swung to try again, and her arm was stopped by a hand from behind. She turned around to face a man with dark hair and bangs that stuck out as if of their own accord over his forehead. A pair of dark gray eyes stared back at her. "Don't do it again, unless you want to spend the night in a holding cell," the man said.

A man and a woman dressed in blue uniforms ran over to the trio. "Okay, break it up."

Shiro pulled out his badge and flashed it at them. "Garrison SWAT," he said. He pointed at the woman, "I caught her trying to strike the Deputy DA who's here because I asked him to stay with my brother who's a patient here."

She stared at Shiro as she bared her teeth and body vibrated. "You," she spat out as her teeth clicked together. "You put my cousin in prison."

Adam mouthed behind her 'Max Strickland.'

"Ma'am," Shiro spoke quietly but succinctly. "Your cousin did everything we said he did. We have the body camera records to prove it which were shown in court. My team could escort you to SWAT headquarters and show you the film if you missed it that day."

One of the security guards stared at her. "Sounds like he's pretty reasonable to me. You, on the other hand, better calm yourself down or we're going to have to throw you out."

"This isn't the last you've heard from me," she leaned in. "Not by a longshot." She stomped away.

Shiro nodded to the security guards, "Please keep her away from us."

"You got it, and I hope your brother is okay." One of the security guards replied as the pair walked away.

Shiro turned to Adam, "Your hurt," he said as he reached out toward Adam.

"Not here," Adam replied as he glanced around the room at the eyes upon them.

"The rest of my team is on their way," Shiro replied.

"We'll be finished by then. I have news you need to hear," and if Shiro broke down he didn't want a room full of strangers seeing it, Adam thought.


	11. Waiting for News Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro, Adam, and the rest of the team waiting for news on Keith.

Adam stepped up to the nurse's station. "Do you have a private place where we can talk?"

She nodded. "We have a bereavement room. It's right next door."

"Thanks, and if any other people come in dressed like him," he added, pointing to Shiro, "or ask about Keith Kogane, could you send them over?"

They stepped into the room walls painted a powder blue with cerulean blue carpet, a couch, and several matching chairs. Adam maneuvered Shiro over to the couch, and he sat down next to the SWAT team leader.

"Adam?" Shiro asked.

Adam took Shiro's hand in his. "When we talked earlier, I only had a preliminary report on Keith's condition."

Shiro swallowed hard as he stared into Adam's eyes. "Tell me, what's wrong with Keith?"

Adam took a deep breath. "There's no easy way to tell you this. Keith suffered blunt force trauma to the head. He didn't know where he was much less how he got there. There's bleeding in his skull that's putting pressure on his brain. He's been in surgery now," Adam glanced over at a clock on the wall, "over two hours almost three. They also have to repair damage to his kidney."

Shiro tried to fight the moisture that collected in his eyes, but it was a losing battle as the first tear came rolling down his face. "Keith," he whispered. "This is all my fault," Shiro said as his voice came out thickly. "My fault," he whispered again.

Adam's arms wrapped around him and hugged Shiro to him. "No, it's not." He knew Shiro would never put Keith in a dangerous situation without good cause. He rocked Shiro as he placed a hand to the back of his husband's head.

The door to the bereavement room opened slightly, and Pidge stuck her head in. She turned her head and whispered something to someone behind her, and she entered quietly followed by the rest of her teammates.

Hunk fidgeted as he stared at Adam and Shiro. He asked quietly, "Is everything okay? Keith's alive, isn't he?"

"We're still waiting for someone to tell us something," Adam replied. He explained the situation to the rest of the team.

Shiro stirred as he wiped at his eyes and straightened up to face his team. Everyone except for Griffin knew just how close Shiro was to Keith and seeing his red-rimmed eyes and tear streaks on his face brought lumps to their throats.

Lance looked down at the floor before he looked up again. "Now I wish I'd shot Lotor somewhere else than beside his ass."

Pidge couldn't stop the chuckle at his words and turned towards him as a smirk pulled at her lips, and she gave him a slight punch to his shoulder. "Way to go sharpshooter."

Shiro couldn't help but chuckle at Pidge and Lance, but the slight laughter didn't reach his eyes. His shoulders slumped, but he held back the sigh that wanted to escape. He stared down at his hands as his mouth downturned. He couldn't get it out of his mind that this was all his fault. The ache in his chest threatened to overwhelm him.

The door opened, and a doctor wearing green scrubs stepped in the room. He cleared his throat. "Is a Shiro here?"

Shiro raised his head, "That's me, and you can speak freely here."

The doctor nodded. "I'm Doctor Stone. Mr. Kogane is now in recovery. Once he's awake, we'll be moving him to ICU. He'll only be allowed two visitors at a time. But we can't rule out brain damage yet from the blunt force trauma he took. You need to be prepared for that eventuality."

Pidge's eyes watered as her lower lip trembled. She turned away and fell into Lance's arms. He sniffed, fighting back his tears as he hugged her tight.

Rax put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed slightly. "Keith's a fighter. He'll be okay."

Shiro stood and straightened up to his full height. "What should we expect," he asked as he felt Adam's fingers interlace into his own.

Doctor Stone glanced around the room at all the people there whose eyes pleaded for good news. He cleared his throat. "Mr. Kogane could suffer from a variety of problems that would affect not only his quality of life but also his health and welfare.

"You should expect memory loss, blindness, personality changes, problems with balance, seizures, sudden fits of anger, depression, and or anxiety."

Stone glanced at the clock on the wall as he calculated how long it took it to him to get here from the surgical floor and how much time passed since he first entered the room. He directed their attention to the phone on the wall. "I'll have someone call down with the room number when he's settled in ICU."

Shiro looked to Doctor Stone. "Thank you."

Stone nodded and turned on his heel and strode out of the room to move onto his next case.

Hunk sank into a chair. "Oh man, how are we going to help him?"

"Anyway we can," Rax replied.

"Who's he going to stay with?" Lance asked as he stared at the others. "We all have our jobs, and there's no way I want to see him in an assisted living home. That would be like giving up on him."

Pidge wiped at her eyes. "I agree, we're a team, and we need to look out for him."

Shiro wiped a hand over his face, and he turned his head to look at Adam. "I think now would be a good time to use the money."

"Money? What money?" Lance asked.

Shiro sank back down on the couch. "I don't talk about it much, but when I was younger before going into the Marines, I lost both of my parents. They had some money, and since I was an only child, they left it to me. I haven't touched it, but I think now would be a good time to set down some roots finally. I can buy a house with it, and that way someone could always be with Keith."

"You're not doing this alone," Hunk replied as his expression brightened. "We'll all chip in."

Everyone in the room but Griffin nodded.

Eyes turned his way. He shrugged as he leaned up against the wall. "I know Keith means a lot to all of you, but I've got some news myself. Sonda approved Allura's request. Curtis is forming another SWAT team. He's asked me to be his second in command because I do have experience here. I'm going to take it, but I have to make sure Kogane is going to be okay. He's not the kid I remember from our academy days."

Shiro leaned back, "That was fast. I wonder how Allura and Iverson got that passed."

Griffin shrugged again, but he did lean forward, "Rumor has it that Iverson told her that with one team out of action for a while and trying to cover as much as SWAT needs to cover they would be lucky if that team didn't lose another man."

Shiro nodded, "That makes sense. Two teams were barely enough coverage. Three teams will work out better. But until further notice, we are all on call."

Hunk glanced around with a grin on his face, "Now that this is all settled who goes house hunting?"

Shiro shook his head, "I can't leave. I have to stay here." What he didn't say the team knew that it was for both his and Keith's good.

Pidge brightened as she snapped her fingers together. "Don't worry about a thing, Shiro," she said as she dug into her backpack and pulled out her tablet. "Leave everything to me."

Shiro stifled the groan threatening to escape his lips. Why did he wonder that he should worry? Sometimes Pidge could take things just a little too far. He opened his mouth but was stopped before he could say something by the ringing of the phone. Shiro jumped to his feet and was first to reach it. He grabbed the receiver and brought it up to the side of his face. "Hello," he spoke into the receiver. He nodded as he listened to the voice on the other end. "I understand," he said as he hung up.

Shiro turned around to face the others in the room. "They've moved Keith to his room. But there will be a delay as they get him settled."

Lance glanced around at the others. "What are we waiting for. Let's go see mullet head."

A loud thump sounded in the room as Lance rubbed the back of his head. "What gives Rax? What the hell was that for?"

"For being insensitive to a teammate."

Pidge's eyes gleamed. "Good one, Rax," she said as she followed Hunk through the door who followed in Shiro and Adam's wake.

Rax turned to her. "I owe you one too."

"For what?"

"For the hat."

Pidge stared at him for a quick minute. "You still ticked off about that?"

He shook his head. "No, but it's the principle of the thing."

"Rax, you need to loosen up. Your too old school."

Rax shrugged. "That could be. After all, I am third-generation SWAT."

 

Shiro paced the floor of the waiting room. It helped to be in motion, but it didn't stop his stomach that roiled. Would Keith hate him? Would Keith even remember that he was the one who asked him to take the undercover assignment? No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop these thoughts from running through his mind.

Adam stepped in Shiro's path and placed his hands on his spouse's shoulders. "Stop it. You're going to wear yourself out before you even get a chance to see him."

"I can't," Shiro's voice was quiet. "It's because of me he's here."

"What do you mean? Tell me. Remember, no secrets between us."

Shiro nodded. He told Adam everything. How Allura had given him the choice of either ordering Keith to go undercover or she would. "I couldn't do that. I couldn't order him to go. Keith decided to go on his own."

Adam closed his eyes for a moment gathering his thoughts then opened them to stare directly into Shiro's. "I know this is hard, but it's not your fault this happened. It's Lotor's fault, and it's the DEA's fault. Stop blaming yourself. Now come over here and sit down."

Shiro shook his head. "I can't," he said as he dropped his gaze.

Adam opened his mouth to speak but was stopped as a deep baritone voice spoke, "Kogane."

Adam and Shiro turned to see another doctor dressed in green scrubs step out from the ICU area. The rest of the team stood as they came forward and joined Shiro and Adam.

The doctor approached them, "Are you all here for Mr. Kogane?"

"Yes," Shiro replied.

"I'm Doctor Whitehorse, his neurologist. I need to make you all aware that Mr. Kogane suffered from bleeding on the brain from the damage to a small vein which was able to repair. But to get there, we had to remove a small section of his skull to get to the vein. He will have to go through a second surgery to replace that section of the skull.

"I've given him his first neuro check which I will do several times a day or one of my associates will do until we're satisfied that his condition is improving. Also, you should be aware that at the moment there is a small tube still in the site of the surgical area to drain any blood in case we missed something and to help relieve any more pressure on his brain. If there's no more bleeding in 48 hours, we will remove the tube and replace the piece of his skull we had to remove.

"We'll keep him on light sedation, but right now he must get as much rest as possible which is why we must keep his visitor's limited and to two at a time. Once I'm satisfied he's healing properly, we'll send him to a regular room."

Shiro reeled and stumbled. He knew this was bad but hadn't realized it was this bad. Adam's arm reached out and snaked around Shiro's waist to help him keep his balance.

"When… When can I go see Keith?"

"It won't be long now. The nurses are finishing getting him settled and comfortable right now. He'll be able to respond to you, but the sedative will make him sleepy. So if it's possible to keep your visit short."

Shiro nodded as he leaned on Adam for support.

Griffin glanced around, "Well, I can see he's in good hands. I should go now, but it was good working with you all."

Pidge waved, while Rax nodded and Lance gave Griffin a thumbs up. Hunk smiled. Shiro turned to face the younger man. He stuck out his hand and Griffin took it. "It was good working with you kid. Watch your back out there."

"You got it," Griffin replied as both men shook hands.

Doctor Whitehorse cleared his throat. "Mr. Kogane is ready for visitors now." He turned and led the way as Adam and Shiro followed.

They walked past a room with glass walls but also with blinds, but the blinds were closed to keep prying eyes from looking in. Doctor Whitehorse left them as Adam opened the door and Shiro walked in.

Shiro grimaced as the noise from the monitors assaulted his ears. He couldn't help but notice how still Keith appeared as he lay on the bed, but the head of the bed was raised.

Shiro's eyes watered as they focused on the small tube sticking out of the left side of Keith's head is held in place by bandages which wrapped around his skull.

Shiro moved over to Keith's side. His voice cracked as he spoke softly, "I'm sorry." He placed his hand on his brother's as his fingers wrapped carefully around the younger man's hand being mindful of not disturbing the IV.

At his brother's touch, Keith's eyelids opened. His blue-gray eyes fought to focus as he glanced around the room and found the person he's been asking for. "Shiro," he whispered. He couldn't help but notice how his brother, who usually kept himself immaculate, looked like he hadn't slept in days or shaved for at least a day. "You look like hell."

A slight grin tugged at Shiro's lips. "You don't look so good yourself."

A nurse stuck her head in the room. "I'm sorry, but I need to cut your visit short. Doctor Whitehorse has another set of tests to run."

Keith shot a glance at the nurse.

Shiro shrugged, what else could he do but follow the doctor's orders. "I'll be back. The rest of the team is waiting to see you too. You need to rest so you can get out of here."

"Like I have a choice," Keith whispered as his eyes slid to half-mast.

Shiro applied slight pressure to Keith's hand as a small smile appeared on Keith's face as his eyes closed.

Shiro and Adam exited the room and walked back to the waiting room. As soon as they entered, they were surrounded by the rest of the team. "How is he?" Lance asked as the others waited.

"He's tired, but he did wake up." Shiro chuckled slightly, "He told me I looked like hell."

Hunk chuckled as Rax grinned and Pidge wiped a tear from her eye.

Lance grinned, but he looked at them seriously. "Why are you back out here?"

Adam pointed to a chair, "You need to sit down now." He turned to Lance, "Doctor Whitehorse had more tests to run."

Shiro nodded as he moved over to the chair and sat down. His cellphone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out and frowned at it. "It's Allura," he said as he answered. He listened to his Captain's voice on the other end.

He hung up, and his eyes scanned the group around him. "Allura needs someone to interrogate Lotor. I can't leave here yet, so Lance you're up."

Lance cracked his knuckles. "Finally. My turn to grill somebody."

"Want some help?" Hunk asked.

"I've got this."


	12. Interrogation, Secrets, and Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is still in ICU, Lance is interrogating Lotor, Team Punk is at it again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to xXCrimson RabbitXx for allowing me to bounce ideas around.

Lance walked through the halls of SWAT headquarters. He headed for the interrogation rooms. He was intent on proving that he was more than just a sniper and a pretty face on the team. He stopped as he heard his name being called.

"Hey Lance, wait up."

He turned to see his sister Veronica heading his way.

"Hey, Veronica. What do you need?"

"We heard about Keith. Is it as bad as Griffin says it is?"

Lance nodded, "Yeah, it is."

"Why aren't you at the hospital then?" she asked.

"I was, but Allura called Shiro, and he's letting me take a crack at Lotor in interrogation."

Veronica couldn't help but laugh. "I guess he figures since you bagged him you get to take the interrogation. But don't you think you should check in with Allura first?"

Lance's posture sagged for a minute as he sighed. "Your right. I should," he said as he turned and headed for the woman's office.

"So when can you sneak me in to see Keith?" Veronica asked.

Lance paused mid-step as though he was just frozen like a statue. His head turned toward his sister as his eyes grew, and his mouth dropped open. He closed his mouth as his foot finally fell to the ground, and he waved his hands back and forth in front of him. "You don't want to see him right now. Maybe after he's out of the ICU, but not right now."

"Why not?"

Lance gulped down the lump that formed in his throat. "Look the only ones who's seen him are Shiro and Adam, but his doctor said they had to remove a piece of his skull to repair a vein and remove blood that was putting pressure on his brain." He sucked in a breath, "There's a possibility of some form of brain damage that's going to be career-ending." He looked left and right. "You can't tell anyone that. Keith doesn't need to hear that from anyone here."

Veronica stared at her brother, "Is it that serious? I thought Griffin was joking."

"Roni," he grabbed his sister by the arms and gave her a slight shake. "I mean it you can't tell anyone. Keith is a vital member of our team. He's family, and…" he couldn't bring himself to finish his words.

"I know Lance. My team is that way too. If anything happened to anyone of them, I don't know what I'd do." She wrapped her arms around her brother and held him tight. "Now you need to go see Allura and go run that interrogation."

As he turned to leave, he wiped a hand over his eyes. "Thanks, Roni."

"No, problem little brother," she replied as she ruffled his hair on his head.

"Cut it out! Jeez," Lance replied as he stalked away from her in a huff.

 

Shiro propped his head upon his hand as he slumped in the waiting room chair. His eyelids hung at half-mast, but he forced himself to stay awake. Adam dozed in the chair next to him.

Rax sat down in the chair on the opposite side of him. "You need some rest, Shiro. You'll be no good to Keith if you get sick."

"You sound like Adam."

"Adam has a lot of sense. I guess that's why he gets paid the big bucks," Rax replied as a smirk pulled at his mouth.

Shiro glanced over at Pidge and Hunk as the pair were studying images on her tablet. "Are they still at it?"

"Yeah, they've crossed a few houses off the list as being either too small or too big."

Shiro let out a small chuckle. "They sound like that story with the three bears." Shiro's voice slurred as he drifted off.

 

Lance knocked on the door in front of him. He heard the voice inside, allowing him entrance. He entered.

Allura looked up at him. "Oh, Lance, I was expecting Shiro."

Lance shook his head. "He sent me instead."

"Hmm… I suppose. Although, I did hear some of the rumors running around here about Keith. He's okay, isn't he?" She asked as her eyebrows raised, and her hands were clasped together under her chin as if she were praying.

Lance slumped slightly. He told her everything that he knew about what was going on with his second in command.

Her eyes watered, "I didn't realize."

Lance waved her off. "I understand Lotor is ready to be interrogated?"

Allura nodded, and her eyes hardened. "Yes he is, he's waiting in interrogation room 3. I want you to break him."

Lance's voice lost all of his light-heartedness as he spoke. There was a chill to his words that even made Allura shiver as she heard them escape his mouth. "He's going to break. He's going to wish he never hurt Keith."

"Lance," Allura spoke as he turned to leave. "You're not going to be doing this interrogation alone. You will find a woman waiting for you outside of room three. Her name is Krolia, and she works for the DEA."

Lance gave her a quick nod and hurried out of Allura's office.

 

Pidge glanced up at Hunk then turned her gaze over to Shiro. Seeing him asleep, she whispered, "I think we've found it."

Hunk lifted his gaze to her face. "This?" he asked as he rubbed his hand across his forehead for a moment before he dropped it and stared back at her. "Have you lost your mind?"

"No, I haven't," she replied as she shifted in her chair. "It's perfect."

"Explain to me how this is perfect."

"It has more than enough rooms for all of us, plus some of these extra rooms could be turned into therapy rooms for Keith. And you could have your state of the art kitchen."

His eyes narrowed, "Are you trying to bribe me?" Hunk asked.

"Is it working?"

Hunk grinned, "Yeah."

"Let's go check it out in person," Pidge said as she rose and stretched.

The pair hurried out of the ICU waiting room.

 

Lance strode down the hall and turned the corner. He saw a tall woman standing by the interrogation room where Lotor was stashed. She leaned against the wall.

She turned her head and blinked. She pushed herself off the wall coming to her full height. "I was expecting Shiro."

Lance shook his head. "Sorry to disappoint you, but he sent me instead." Lance was tired of explaining everything about Keith to everyone who caught him the hallway, so he didn't say that his team leader was at the hospital with his second in command. Lance stuck his hand out to her and was surprised to find her grasp was strong yet firm.

"I'm Krolia," she replied as they shook hands.

There was something familiar about her but, he couldn't quite place his finger on where he'd seen her before. "I'm Lance," he replied as their hands separated. "Ready?" he asked as he placed his hand on the cold metal knob.

She nodded.

Lance turned the knob and pushed the door open as he entered the room.

Recognition flashed in Lotor's eyes as he jumped up from his seat. "You," he growled. "Did you come here to gloat about catching me?"

Lance stepped around the table and grabbed Lotor's shoulder, shoving him back down the seat.

Lotor winced as his injured behind touched the chair. "That hurts!"

"Good," Lance replied. "You deserve worse." He closed his eyes as he heard the door shut behind him, and he fought his emotions for control. He told himself he wouldn't go off on Lotor, but oh how he wanted too. He opened them again. "Now, we're going to have a chat."

Krolia leaned up against the wall Lotor stared up at her. "Your… You're the rat my father wanted me to find."

Krolia lips pulled away from mouth flashing her teeth at him. There wasn't a hint of humor or even friendliness in her expression. "Yeah," she whispered as she glared back at him.

Lance shuddered slightly but turned his attention back on Lotor. "Let's talk. We've got you on a shit ton of charges that will put you behind bars for several lifetimes. I doubt you'll ever see the light of day."

Lotor leaned forward. "I think I'm the one who holds all the cards in this transaction." He leaned back in the chair as a smug grin pulled at the corner of his mouth. "You want information about my father, and I want a deal."

"Why should we give you a deal?" Lance asked.

Lotor examined his fingernails. "I know so much about my father's organization."

Lance sighed, in a way Lotor was right. They wanted more information about Zarkon, but he didn't want to go to the DA with anything hinting at what he feared Lotor wanted. "What kind of deal?"

Lotor smirked at both law enforcement officers. "Full immunity from prosecution."

Krolia shook her head. "You have charges against you of transporting drugs across state lines that falls under federal jurisdiction. The DEA can give you a reduced sentence on those but never full immunity."

Lotor chuckled. "The DEA? Is that who you work for?"

Lance failed to see the joke.

Lotor smirked again, "My father has his hooks into many government agencies and police organizations just like the DEA. Why do you think all those other agents vanished?"

Lance shrugged, "Fine. We can send you to the state pen and put you in the general population and not worry with the deal. You'll sit there until you arraigned on the charges we have against you."

Lotor jumped up out of his seat as his voice rose to a fever pitch. "You can't do that! I'll be dead before tomorrow morning! My father will see to it!"

"Then tell us what we want to know, and we'll put you in a cell here where Zarkon can't get to you," Lance replied.

Lotor slumped as he slowly retook his seat. "Fine. You win. For now."

Lance pulled out his mini recorder. "I need to get this on record." He pressed record as Lotor began to talk.

 

Hunk pulled his car up in front of the iron-wrought gate that separated the property where the house sat behind it from the regular street traffic. "Are you sure about this Pidge?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Look at it Hunk. All the stonework walls that look like it motored with huge pieces of river rock. And those windows. That's so cool they thought to put reflective glass in them." She grinned at the image that sat before her.

"I'm looking at them too. That's a lot of glass. Who's going to wash all of them?"

"A cleaning service. If we all pool our money together, we can do this and not worry about where we live."

"True," Hunk added. "But what if I want to bring home a girlfriend?"

"Hunk will you stop worrying," Pidge replied. "No one is gonna care about your love life."

"But I care!" He looked at the house again. "You know it reminds me of a castle."

"Yes, it does." She grinned over at him. "Now let's go and get my dad and see the realtor. We can put a down payment on this baby and snap it up before anyone else does."

"I'm still worried, though. What if Shiro and Adam don't like it?"

"They'll love it," Pidge replied.

 

Shiro's eyelids opened to an aroma that was equal to the nectar of the gods. His eyes focused on the cup being held in front of his face. His gaze shifted upwards to Adam's face. "Thanks," he said as he reached out to take the cup.

Adam plopped down in the seat next to his spouse. "I didn't want to wake you, but a nurse came by and said visiting hours would be starting up again for an hour then they're going to kick us out for the night."

Adam raised the cup to his lips and sipped at the liquid. He grimaced and coughed. "That's disgusting. Tastes like liquid sludge."

Shiro gazed at Adam. "That bad, huh?"

"You try it."

Shiro sipped at his cup, and his face screwed up. "I thought you were kidding."

Adam let out a snort. "Would I lie to you?"

Shiro shook his head. "No, you wouldn't." He glanced around the room. "Dammit, I forgot to call Kolivan."

"Stay here," Adam said as he rose. "I'll go call him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

A nurse stepped out from the back. "It's now the visiting hour. Afterward, we'd appreciate it if you would please go home and get some rest. We understand that you wish to be near your loved ones, but for the health of your loved ones and yourselves, the staff requests that you take time for yourselves."

Shiro stood, and Rax joined him. "She didn't say we had to leave just that it was a suggestion," the driver of the Black Lion said.

"True but knowing Adam he'll make me leave," Shiro replied.

A smirk pulled at the corner of Rax's mouth. "At least he knows what you need."

Shiro sighed as the pair headed back for Keith's room in ICU.

 

Lance and Krolia sat in Allura's office as she held the mini recorder in her hands. "And Lotor made all this plain?" Allura asked as she stared at the pair.

Krolia nodded, "Yes. He said that Zarkon has moles in a lot of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Including the DEA."

Allura frowned as she held the recorder a little tighter in her hand. She turned her gaze back to Lance. "I don't know how you made him talk, but I'm grateful you did. But I think you should get something to eat and then take some downtime in the rest area. I don't need you passing out on me from exhaustion."

Krolia leaned forward. "Have you any word on Keith?"

"He's alive," Allura replied, "but you should talk to Lance." She held up a finger, "After he's had some rest."

Lance rose from his chair, "Thanks, Captain."

A smile tugged at Allura's mouth. "No, thank you, Lance. Now if you will excuse me, there's a phone call I need to make."

Both Lance and Krolia rose, and Allura's eyes followed them as her hand hovered over the phone on her desk. As the door shut, Allura relaxed a small bit as she reached into her pocket. She pulled out her smartphone and pressed a button on her speed dial function.

She leaned back in her chair as a message began to play, stating the hours of operation followed by the standard if you know your party's extension. She pressed the number of the extension she wanted. She heard the phone ring twice, but was rewarded by a soft yet masculine voice which said, "Hello?"

"Hello, Thace," she replied.

"Allura, it's so nice to hear from you," Thace replied.

"You're burning the midnight hours I see," Allura replied.

Thace chuckled, "Old habits die hard, you know."

"That I do," she replied.

"So what can the FBI do to help the Captain of Garrison SWAT out?"

Allura sighed. "You heard?"

"Yes, I did, and I can't tell you how happy I was to hear about your promotion. Though, I do miss working with you undercover. Your one tough lady. I assume though that this call isn't personal?"

She moved her finger across her desk, making lazy circles across the top of the piece of furniture. "No, it isn't, though I do wish it were. I have information, and I think you and the FBI can help me out. It appears that Zarkon has a long reach and has moles in different law enforcement agencies."

"I know. We caught one in the FBI just last week. We've kept it quiet to try to get more information."

Allura sat up, "Thace, apparently Zarkon has a mole within the DEA. I have a DEA agent here who was undercover with Zarkon's organization for quite a few years. She has tons of valuable information too. It might be worth your time to not only start investigating the DEA but to come here and talk to her."

"I'll have to consult with my supervisor and get his approval, but I'm sure he'll say yes. Once I have it, I'll be on the first plane out."

"Thank you, Thace." She disconnected the call and leaned back in her chair as she tried to force her face into a more neutral expression, but the gentle smile that formed on her mouth wouldn't leave.

 

Rax followed Shiro to Keith's room. He stopped as he threw up a hand to grip the doorframe and winced as he brought his other hand up to cover his eyes and lowered his head.

He dropped the hand from his face as pressure gripped his shoulder. Shiro's expression was just as pained as his own. Rax nodded as he recovered his composure and dropped the hand that gripped the doorframe. He moved over to the right side of Keith's bed as Shiro moved over to the left and gripped Keith's hand in his own.

Keith's eyelids fluttered open as slight pressure gripped his hand. "Shiro," he whispered.

"I'm here, buddy. Rax is too."

"The team?" Keith asked.

"They're fine. You concentrate on getting out of here," Shiro replied.

Rax cleared his throat. "Yeah, you need to get better kid. Someone needs to watch Shiro's back, and that's your job."

"Where're the others?" Keith asked.

"Lance is interrogating Lotor and Pidge, and Hunk took off somewhere. Griffin is transferring to a new team that Allura and Iverson got permission for." Shiro didn't want to mention anything about Lotor in case Keith remembered any of the torture he'd gone through.

Keith's grip on Shiro's hand tightened.

"You okay, buddy?"

"I've got a massive headache."

"You've got a concussion," Shiro replied. He saw the nurses call button and pressed it. "We'll see if they can get you anything for the headache."

Keith would nod if he could, but that was out of the question. "Okay," he replied as he squeezed his eyes shut for a quick moment.

A nurse stuck her head in the doorway. "Is anything wrong?"

"Keith has a headache. Is there anything you can give him for it?"

"I'll go check his chart," she replied as she seemingly disappeared as fast as she had appeared.

In a matter of moments, the woman reappeared and stepped up to the bed. "Excuse me," she said as indicated the hand that Shiro held. "I need to get over there to give him an injection. His doctor did approve a mild pain killer for headaches."

Shiro stepped back to give her room, and she pulled out a syringe from her pocket and an alcohol swab. She ripped open the package and wiped the surface of the cannula off that stuck out of Keith's wrist. She picked up the syringe and removed the cap off the end while giving the plunger a quick squeeze making sure all air was out of the syringe. She stuck the needle into the cannula and pressed the plunger, pushing the medicine from the syringe straight into Keith's vein.

"This should provide you with some relief," she addressed her patient. "If you need anything, just press the button."

"Thanks," Keith replied as his eyes tried to focus on her face. His eyelids were at half-mast. "Sorry guys. I can't stay awake," his voice slurred.

Shiro squeezed his hand, "That's okay. You need to rest right now and our time is almost over."

Keith sighed as his eyes slid the rest of the way shut.

 

Shiro and Rax exited the ICU area and reentered the waiting room. Adam stood there waiting on them. "Keith's sleeping now, but he has a headache. A nurse was able to give him some medication for it," Shiro updated Adam.

Adam nodded, "That's great, and we need to head home. You need something to eat and real sleep yourself."


	13. Distractions and Meetings - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Commander Iverson isn't acting like himself, but one thing is for sure he wants his best team on this case. Shiro's team is called in to work a case that could have repercussions for both him and Iverson.

Shiro lay next to Adam. He listened to his husband's slow, steady breathing. Shiro closed his eyelids and tried to sleep, but he couldn't turn his mind off.

He opened his eyelids as he stared into the darkness as all the what-ifs started again. What if Keith didn't make it through the night? What if he started bleeding again?

Before leaving the hospital, he'd received reassurances from the nurse's station that if anything happened to the man who was as close to him as a brother, they would call. But it wasn't reassuring. His breath hitched as he closed his eyelids a second time as more thoughts raced through his mind, and his muscles tensed.

What would he do if he lost Keith? How could he face Kolivan and Krolia? He raised a hand and covered his eyes. He had to stop thinking this way, but how? He sucked in another breath and released it as his mind replayed him and Lance finding Keith. It was like reliving a nightmare. Only this one was real.

Adam stirred next to him. "Takashi stop tormenting yourself. It wasn't your fault."

Arms snaked around Shiro as Adam pulled him into an embrace. A hand-rubbed small circles on his back. The touch was comforting. Shiro began to relax under Adams tender touch. He found the tension loosening and allowed his eyes to slide shut.

 

Commander Iverson was jolted out of a sound sleep by the ringing of his phone. He reached over to his bedside table and grabbed it.

He listened to the voice on the other end. "I'll be there. Keep the site intact." He hung up.

 

Iverson drove his car onto the scene with blue lights flashing shining bright in the night. Several fire trucks, along with a hazmat truck, sat around the exterior of the building. EMS was on the scene as several firefighters moved about. He jumped out of the driver's side and rushed forward to the man who appeared to be in charge.

"They find anyone inside yet?" Iverson asked the Fire Chief.

The man turned to Iverson, "Whoever did this used a chemical accelerant making the fire burn extra hot. My men are still inside, putting out hot spots."

Iverson saw a stretcher being wheeled out with a woman laying on it. Instant recognition registered with Iverson. "Sarah," he yelled as he took a step forward.

The fire chief placed his hand on Iverson's arm. "Commander, do you know this woman?"

"Sarah Shepard, she's a senior lab tech and a close family friend. Please tell me she's going to live."

The fire chief didn't hold anything back. "She's been shot and has second-degree burns. Every second she's not in the ER her chances are slipping."

Iverson pulled his hand radio from out of his pants pocket and brought it up to his face depressing the talk button. "This is Commander Iverson of Garrison SWAT. We have one of our own on her way to Platte City Hospital. I need a full escort down Planetside. I repeat full escort."

He heard the dispatcher's reply, "Roger that. Full escort en route."

 

Two cell phones went off at the same time. Shiro groaned as he rolled over to grab his as Adam reached for his own.

Shiro answered him. "Yes? How bad? I'll be there as soon as I can." He hung up and turned to Adam. "I've got to head to SWAT headquarters."

Adam nodded, "It appears whatever is going on I need to go with you. That was the DA's office. He said for me to meet the Garrison Chief of police and the Chief of Detectives at SWAT headquarters."

 

Iverson and Shiro strode into the Lion's Den. Shiro focused on Adam as his spouse shook hands with both Chief Sanda and another uniformed officer.

Sanda spoke as Iverson and Shiro joined them. "I never would have called you all out of bed if this wasn't a tactical emergency." She glanced over at the newcomers. "Commander Iverson and Sergeant Shirogane will fill you all in."

Commander Iverson commanded their attention as he began the briefing. "At approximately 12:35 this morning, a three-person robbery crew posing as medical waste disposal workers gained access to the Garrison Crime Lab, killing a sergeant, and one of our lab techs, and critically wounded another. They stole seventy DNA evidence kits belonging to cases already on trial or waiting on indictments. We put out a city-wide alert, but so far they're still at large."

The smaller female officer folded her arms across her chest. "Think of all the man-hours investigating, collecting evidence that'll be lost if we don't get them back."

Adam chose that moment to enter into the conversation. "Without those DNA kits, we stand to lose ninety percent of those cases on our docket and a lot of serious criminals go free." He crossed his arms over his body. "How is any witness or victim supposed to trust the DA's office again if we tell them we lost all the evidence for their case?"

Chief Sanda held up her hands in a placating manner toward Adam. "I've ordered a media blackout for the time being. There will be a report of a lab fire, but no mention of the stolen evidence."

The smaller female sighed. "I'll call up every detective and put them on the street immediately."

Shiro held out a hand to stop her. "No disrespect to the detective's bureau but running down alibies and questioning all seventy criminals with a motive to do this could take weeks if not months."

Iverson stared at Sanda, "Ma'am, my suggestion," he paused, making sure he had her attention, "Let SWAT off the leash. Give Sergeant Shirogane and his team carte blanche to find this crew."

Chief Sanda frowned as she shook her head. "Absolutely not. Sergeant Shirogane's team is a man down."

Shiro stared back at her. "That's not fair Chief, and you know it. I'm a former marine, and we are trained to be ready for anything at a moments notice. I trained my team to be just as ready."

"He's right," Iverson added. "His team can be ready to roll at a moment's notice."

Sanda stared back at them. "They'd better be, or I swear I will slap you two down so hard both of you will have to work your way back through the force to get back into SWAT." She turned away from them then as she mulled the idea through her mind. She turned back to them. "Whatever resources you need sergeant, they're yours." She stared at Iverson. "You better be right about this."

She turned to Adam with her mouth open to say something, but before she gets the words out, he cut her off. He wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of telling him how to do his job or micromanage the investigation. "Prioritize the criminals with motives to do this."

Sanda raised an eyebrow at him as she closed her mouth. Her cheeks flushed red as her face hardened. She stormed off with both her chief of detectives and Commander Iverson following.

Adam pulled out his phone and busied himself on the phone's keypad as he sent off a text to one of his assistants who worked under him in the DA's office. Shiro walked over to him as Adam glanced up from his phone, "Wasn't I just in bed with you?"

A smirk began to pull at one side of Shiro's mouth, "Yeah, you were."

Adam returned the smirk with one of his own. "No reason for this to be awkward."

A smile began to replace the smirk. "Roger that. Let's go catch some bad guys."

 

Shiro stared at the faces on the central plasma. "It's like the who's who of the nastiest bad guys in the region."

Adam nodded. "Seventy of the area's most heinous cases. Murderers, rapists, robbers— that'll all get tossed out of court unless we can get those DNA kits back."

Rax was stepping up into Keith's spot, but he didn't like it. "So there wasn't a single bread crumb of evidence left behind at the lab?"

Shiro shook his head. "Nothing. The shotgun ammo they used can't be traced."

Adam frowned. "And they sprayed the place down with accelerant, which didn't leave a single hair or print behind." He turned his gaze to Rax.

Rax also frowned as he rubbed a hand to his chin. "Wow, talk about starting behind the eight ball."

Shiro couldn't stop himself from pacing as he turned to Rax. "All right corral the team. Tell them to reach out to any friends in other agencies – FBI, DEA, ATF. Any connections they may have on the street. CI's snitches, any gang members who want SWAT to own them a favor."

As Rax turned to walk away, he said, "On it."

 

Commander Iverson stood in Sarah's hospital room. He stared at her as he listened to the doctor give him a rundown on her injuries. "The buckshot missed her vital organs, but she has burns on her torso, which are life-threatening."

Iverson struggled to form a coherent thought. "Well, just, um, tell me straight what her chances are?"

The doctor didn't project an air of confidence as she replied, "Sixty for Forty against."

Iverson sighed.

"Are you her husband?"

Iverson gazed at Sarah's still form. "No. No, no, I'm, uh… Her husband passed away a few years ago. I'm-I'm, I'm a close friend."

"You being here is good. We're doing everything we can, but she can use all positive thoughts."

Iverson approached the bed, took his friend's hand in his.

 

 

Shiro, Rax, Adam, and Lance stood around the main computer in the Lion's Den. Shiro's attention was caught by movement as Krolia entered carrying a file in her hand. "Krolia, thanks for reaching out."

She passed the file over to him. "If my bosses find out I'm sharing intelligence on an open case they won't be too happy. I know how important this case is to you guys."

Shiro opened the file staring down at the face of an unsavory looking man. "Bob Bass. A bonified manic meth head out of Durango."

Lance gazed at Shiro. "The same Bob Bass who got into a gun battle with the Sherrif's department when he was sixteen and shot ten times?"

Shiro nodded as he glanced up at Lance and then back down to the file. "Yeah, one and the same. He's also the brother of one of our suspect's Gilbert Bass."

Adam turned to Lance. "Pull up Gilbert Bass's file."

Lance leaned over the computer and pressed down on the key's entering the suspects' name. The file came up.

All Adam needed was one look at the face to recognize the man. "I'm on the team trying him for multiple first-degree murders."

Krolia gazed at Adam. "The DEA has been surveilling Bob bass for months building a case on him for running cocaine from Las Vegas to Durango. Last night a friend of mine working the case caught him on a wiretap saying he was about to 'hardware-up' with a hit crew. Then he dumped his phones and disappeared."

Adam turned to Shiro. "We were about to introduce evidence of Gilbert's DNA found on a gun silencer linking him to four other murders."

Shiro gazed back as he slapped the file in his hand. "Baby brother makes Gilbert's DNA evidence kit disappear, and he gets a mistrial, and big brother hits the streets."

Lance gazed at Shiro. "Sounds like a theory."

Shiro passed the file back to Krolia. "Thanks for not sharing this with us."

Krolia smiled. "I'll pass your thanks along."

 

Shiro and Adam faced Gilbert Bass in a meeting room for prisoners and their lawyers. Gilbert sat behind the table with two guards standing behind him. Shiro stared at Gilbert, who kept his gaze downturned. "So, Bob was willing to rob a Garrison crime lab for you, huh? I mean, damn I got to say that is one tight family you got right there." He waited a minute for a response but walked over to the wall.

Adam gazed at Gilbert who finally raised his gaze to the face of the Deputy DA and made eye contact. "You knew we had DNA evidence linking you to that silencer which would've been a slam dunk for a guilty verdict. You told Bob to steal your evidence before it was introduced to the jury."

Shiro leaned against the wall but pushed himself off and stepped up to Gilbert. "And the baby brother wasn't about to disappoint."

Gilbert cocked his head to the side. "I called Bob yesterday, asked him to drop one hundred in my account, so I could stock up on snack cakes. If Bob did something, I know jack about it."

Shiro leaned over and placed his index finger on the tabletop Gilbert sat behind. "Two members of Garrison PD were murdered, and another one my boss knows personally is clinging to life. So if you were facing decades before this, you're gonna be buried now."

Adam folded his arms across his body. "Besides your evidence kit, there were sixty-nine others that were stolen, and we want them back intact. I can't make a deal for your brother, but if you know where he is, my office is willing to plea bargain with you."

Gilbert leaned over toward Adam. "My lawyer tried to make a deal with you before trial, and you shut him down."

Adam's face grew stony his expression unreadable. "That's when you had nothing to sell."

Shiro placed both hands on the tabletop and leaned in closer toward Gilbert. "I suggest you convince your baby brother to turn himself in along with those DNA kits because he does not want to try shooting it out with Garrison SWAT."

Gilbert plastered a slight smirk on his face. "Our old man was some bastard. One night he dared Bob to shoot him. He even handed him the gun. So Bob did," Gilbert said as his eyebrows rose, and his forehead wrinkled. ".357 right between the eyes."

He turned his gaze over to Adam before turning it down to the tabletop again. "I don't know nothing about no lab getting ripped. And I ain't gonna shed any tears over a couple of cops who died in it." His voice lowered to a whisper. "Especially since my case is about to be dismissed." He clicked his tongue as Shiro's phone beeped.

Shiro lifted the phone looked down at it, reading a message from Lance. 'Lead on murder weapons.'

He looked up at Adam, and they both turned to leave as Adam pressed a buzzer and a lock clicked on the door to the room. Shiro turned back to Gilbert, "You better make those snack cakes last. Because I'm gonna, make sure you ain't getting out of here anytime soon."

Gilbert smirked back at Shiro.

 

Rax rushed into the Lion's Den. "We got any info on the shotgun they used?"

"Yeah, yeah," Hunk replied. "Fostech Origin 12."

Lance stood on the opposite side from Hunk. "Limited collector's edition to be sold at the Durango gun show. The ATF reported that the shipment disappeared en route last week. I got a friend who works undercover in VICE. She said those guns ended up in the hands of Brian Cho."

Rax blinked as he gazed back at Lance. "Cho? Rock and roll weapons dealer out of Bayfield?"

Lance nodded. "His place was raided last year, so now he's set up shop around Horse Thief Lane."

Hunk added, "Word is he's got a shooting range in the basement where bangers test his merchandise."

Rax gazed at them. "All right, gear up."

 

Commander Iverson cornered one of Sarah's doctors. "If there are any new updates, I'm the one to be informed on that okay?"

The woman nodded her agreement. "All right."

A female voice came from behind him. "Dad."

He turned to face the younger woman with long flowing brown hair. "Oh, hey, honey." He reached out and hugged her tight as she returned the embrace. As they parted, he asked, "Jessie, my guys from Metro picked you up at the airport?"

She nodded. "Yeah, they found me as soon as I got off the plane and raced me here."

"Good."

"How's Sarah?"

They started to stroll down the hall. Iverson appeared to be lost in thought or trying to pick the right words for his daughter. "Oh, she's unconscious and in critical condition. She's lucky to be alive."

Jessie grabbed her father's hand. "This can't be happening. I mean I was trading vegan recipes with her the other day on social media."

Iverson stopped and stared in Jessica's eyes. "Was the firm okay with you leaving Pittsburgh on such short notice."

Jessie's eyebrows drew together at the question. "Yeah. I, uh, I-I channeled my inner you and didn't give them a chance. I just booked the first flight out." She had to change the subject and didn't want her dad focusing on what she had mentioned. "How are you holding up, Dad?"

Iverson found himself struggling with trying to keep his emotions in check. "You know, I mean… If it weren't for Sarah, I would've never bounced back from your mother's death. I mean she had her… she had her own grief, but she still found time to be there for us and make sure we didn't go down the tubes after the funeral."

Jessica nodded. "Yeah. She's always been there for us. Now we'll be there for her."

"Yeah," Iverson replied. "Look would you go sit with her. I have a man up in ICU I need to go check on."

"No problem, dad."

 

Iverson stepped off the elevator onto the ICU floor. His ears were met by a deep male voice who didn't sound happy. He couldn't tell what the man was saying, but he drew closer to see a white-haired man standing before the nurse's station.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we can't risk the health of the patient. ICU visiting hours were put into place to ensure that our patients recover."

"Missy, I understand that. But that's my grandson in there, and you won't keep me from him."

As Iverson drew closer, he recognized the man from a couple of SWAT fundraising events. He stepped up to the desk and turned to face the older man. "Your Kolivan, right?"

"Yes, I am. What's it to you?"

"I'm Commander Iverson of SWAT."

Kolivan nodded as recognition finally sank in. "You're the big wig over them. I hope you've got some pull here because this battle-ax won't let me see Keith."

The nurse behind the desk let out a huff as she stared at the pair.

Commander Iverson stared back at the woman. "Young lady, you will give this man the respect he deserves. He's a former Marine who fought for this country. Now, I need you to do one thing, and we'll straighten all this out. Get Keith Kogane's doctor here now, or I'm going to pull some strings and get the hospital administrator here."

"Good try, but I've heard the administrator line before."

Iverson's eyes flashed as he straightened up to his full height. "Fine, I've got Mrs. Sablan on speed dial. You see she is a friend of Garrison PD considering her husband is the Deputy Chief of Police."

The woman visibly shuddered as her hand shook as she reached out and picked up the receiver. Lifting it to her ear, she punched in a few numbers on the keypad and turned away from the pair in front of her. She lowered her voice as she spoke into the phone. She turned back and stared at the pair. "Doctor Whitehorse is on his way. If you two would wait over there," she pointed to a couple of seats.

"Thank you," Iverson replied as he and Kolivan moved over to the seats.

As they sat down, Kolivan turned to Iverson. "How bad is he?"

Iverson frowned and then stared into Kolivan's eyes. "I'm not going to lie to you. It's bad. I received both reports from Sergeant Shirogane and Captain Allura."

Kolivan rubbed at his jaw. "I've seen a lot of bad things on the battlefield, but I know Shirogane thinks the world of Keith."

"Your right, he refused to leave here until visiting hours were over with."

Kolivan glanced around. "I don't see him here now."

"I had to call him and his team in to work a case, but I can't divulge the details."

Kolivan waved a hand in the air, "No, your good. Just like the military, you're entitled to your secrets."

They both looked up as the elevator doors opened and a darker-skinned man wearing a white coat stepped off the elevator. They saw him nod toward the nurse's station, and he approached the pair. "I understand you wanted to see me?"

Both Iverson and Kolivan got to their feet. "I'm Commander Iverson, Keith Kogane's boss, and this is his grandfather Kolivan. We both would like to see him."

Doctor Whitehorse rocked back on his heels as he began to explain Keith's condition to them.

Kolivan held up a hand to stop him. "Doctor, I've been on the front lines. I've seen the misery that men inflict on each other. So skip the details. I need to be with my grandson. His father died when he was a young child, and his mother has been gone on assignment for a long time." Kolivan swallowed the lump in his throat that threatened to cut off his air. "If it hadn't been for Sergeant Shirogane pulling that boy out of a bad situation… I was too sick to help. Can you understand I have to be with him?"

Doctor Whitehorse frowned. "If we bend the rules for you, we have to bend the rules for others."

"I don't think you grasp the situation here Whitehorse," Iverson began as his expression hardened. "Let me explain in terms you will understand. Kolivan will be permitted access to Keith Kogane twenty-four hours a day, or I get Mrs. Sablan down here, and she will fire you by my say so. If you want to keep your job and want to continue to practice medicine here, you will do whatever Kolivan asks."

Whitehorse threw his hands up in the air in surrender. "You have access," he replied.

Iverson leaned over to Kolivan. "That wasn't so hard."

A slow grin crossed Kolivan's face. "Not when you have the pull you have."

"Yeah," Iverson agreed.

 

A door burst open as voices yelled, "Garrison SWAT!"

As the SWAT team moved in, Lance yelled, "Left side clear!"

Rax yelled, "Right side clear! Room clear!"

Shiro, with his weapon, raised, replied, "I got Cho." He lowered his gun as he took the two steps up to the man he wanted to see. "You and me are gonna talk. Bob bass bought automatic shotguns form you. That right?"

Lance whistled as he stared at all the weapons just lying around. "Man. More hardware that got in our armory."

Rax stared over at Cho. "So you're looking at life, no parole unless you want to help us out."

Cho lowered his head and sighed. He raised it again to look at the SWAT officers around him. "Bass. Wanted semi-auto gauges, lots of power, but with ammo that couldn't be traced. Bought three for him and his boys said they were doing a job to save his brother Gilbert."

Shiro shifted his weight from his left foot to his right. "Did Bob tell you they were hitting the Garrison PD crime lab?"

Cho shook his head. "Nah. He said they had to get rid of some lady who survived that lab thing, might've seen something."

Pidge frowned as her brows drew together. "Wait. Bass said he was going after the witness?"

Cho nodded. "He just said the lady gets dead. Then his brother goes free."

Hunk asked, "Sarah Shepard?"

Shiro grabbed the mike to his radio on his shoulder as he turned and walked away. "This is twenty-David to Commander Iverson. You got three shooters heading your way to take out Sarah Shepard."

 

Iverson stood in Sarah's room. "Affirmative, Shiro. I'm on it." As he stuffed his radio into its holster on his belt, he stared at his daughter and Sarah's primary doctor. "We need to move her to another room."

The doctor stared back at him. "No, we can't move…"

"Listen to me," Iverson began in his commanding tone. "If we don't, she definitely won't survive. Hold on." He pulled his service revolver as he rushed out of the room and into the hall, checking corridors.

He raced back to the room, holstering his weapon with practiced ease. "All right unlock the bed and let's go," he said to Jessica.

Iverson grabbed the foot of the bed as Jessica helped to guide and push it out of the room. In the hallway, he said, "All right, swing it, swing it."

Jessica caught on fast as she realized her father wanted to put the bed in the room across the hall. As Jessica guided the bed through the doorway, Iverson spoke again as they parked it. "All right, I'll clear the area." He started yanking his suit jacket off as his daughter turned to face him. "When I walk out, you lock the door behind me, and you do not come out until I tell you, okay."

Jessica reached out, grabbing his arm. "Dad. What's happening?"

He shook his arm out of her grip as he grasped her arms. "Listen to me. Call 911 and tell them an officer is in danger." He released her and rushed out of the room, hoping that she'd listened to what he said.

Iverson raced through the corridors clearing the way from the elevator to Sarah's original room. He ducked into the room and hid in the restroom.

He waited for something to happen when he heard the curtain in the room move. He stepped out of the bathroom with his weapon raised and yelled, "Put 'em down!"

As one guy raised his shotgun, Iverson fired hitting one of the two hitmen in the chest. The second raised his weapon and Iverson leaped into the bathroom as a blast from the hitter's shotgun took out part of the door. He kept firing at the bathroom.

Iverson lowered himself toward the floor in a crouch waiting for one of two things to happen. Either the shotgun would jam, or the hitter would run out of ammo. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as his heart pumped at a rapid pace.

Iverson heard the pause in the gunfire and jumped out of the room putting two rounds in the hitter's chest.

The third waited as the elevator came up planning to shoot it out with the cops. As the doors opened, he shot into the car three times, but it was empty.

Pidge raced around the corner, yelling, "Drop it or die!"

Lance followed her screaming, "Get on your knees, now!"

Pidge yelled, "Down!" and kicked his weapon away as Lanced cuffed him.

Lance looked at her and asked, "Drop it or die?"

Pidge shrugged. "It worked, didn't it?"

Lance shook his head as he grinned at her.

Iverson banged on the door where they'd stashed Sarah. "Jessie, it's me." He heard the door click as it opened. Jessica rushed out to him. "It's okay. It's okay." He said as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "It's okay, honey."

 

Rax and Pidge confronted the surviving hitter from the hospital in a small cell. Rax spoke first. "Wally Harris. You've got priors for assault, concealed weapons, but you've never dropped a body. So why are you starting your murder career with Bass?"

Wally smirked up at Rax from where he sat on a bench. "Bob's paying twenty thousand. And I owe serious child support."

Pidge shook her head. "Father of the year. And now you're looking at forty years minimum in here."

Wally smirked again. "For what? Shooting an elevator?"

Rax's eyes narrowed. "No. For two homicides, theft and tampering with states evidence. Plus arson of a government facility."

Wally's smirk faded as his mouth hung open. "Whoa, we didn't rob that crime lab." He began to rise from his seat as Pidge rushed forward and shoved him back down on the bench.

Rax's voice rose as he released a small portion of his self-control. "Why were you going back to the hospital to take care of Sarah Shepard, then? Unless she was about to ID you?"

Wally shook his head. "No, man. She was a straight hit. Bob told me we needed to drop her to help his brother beat that case."

Pidge raised an eyebrow. "Wait, so you're saying you were just farmed out to kill a witness?"

Wally replied, "All I know is this dude called up Bob, told him to get rid of her, he'd give Bob the evidence box from Gilbert's trial in return. As long as we used the same guns they did."

Rax turned away for a moment and then turned back to Wally. "Bass mention this mystery man's name?"

"Yeah. Said his name was Cooper. Like Gary Cooper."


	14. Distractions and Meetings Part - 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro and the team are searching for the mastermind behind the Garrison Crime Lab robbery.

Adam and Shiro strode into the Lion's Den. Rax said, "Check the timestamp. At 12:20 AM Bob Bass ordered a lettuce wrap. I didn't figure him for a protein kind of guy."

Shiro placed his hands down on the table where the computer sat in the center with four monitors circling the central core. "So that clears Bob Bass from robbing the lab."

Rax nodded. "According to Harris, Bob Bass recruited him and the others on behalf of a guy named Cooper. Now, this Cooper guy allegedly offered Bob his brother's DNA kit in exchange for killing Sarah."

Adam focused on Rax. "So, Cooper rips off the lab and leverages other cons to do his dirty work?" He turned to Shiro.

"Pidge, run all names and aliases associated with Cooper."

Pidge, replied, "On it, Shiro. But it'll be a Christmas miracle if that name leads back to somebody."

Shiro's phone beeped as he looked down at it. "Well, I don't know if Little Red counts as a miracle, but he says he's got intel."

Adam raised an eyebrow at Shiro as his spouse turned to leave. "Little Red?"

Pidge smirked. "Don't ask."

 

Shiro and Lance followed the dark-skinned man as he strode down the sidewalk of a strip mall. Little Red kept going on about his love life and his girls he was over the moon about. Shiro needed to shut it down. "Hold up, Red. You got some big balls if you think we're going to buy gifts for your side pieces."

Lance's jaw dropped as the tips of his ears turned a shade of pink along with his cheeks. He'd never heard this side of his leader before.

The trio stopped in front of a store as Lance gained a semblance of composure. "Yeah, man, you better give us some righteous intel."

Little Red turned around. "All right. You told me to be on the lookout for any activity on the street that seemed strange, right?"

Shiro's fingers were hooked into his belt as his thumbs pressed together. "That's right."

"You know Micky Spicer?"

"Micky Spicer?" Shiro asked. "Head of the Mason Tribe in south Farmington?"

"Boom," Little Red replied. "Word is, the Whale just sold all three of his booty bars in Durango for a cut-rate price to the Kellers for three hundred thousand, then ghosted off the streets. Now tell me that doesn't sound strange to you."

Shiro reached into his pocket. "All right, Red. I guess the Garrison PD is gonna spring for your stocking stuffers." Shiro passed a wad of money to Red.

Lance couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped as he grinned at the other two men.

 

Rax, Lance, Shiro, and Adam stood around the computer station as Commander Iverson strode in. "You think this is our guy?"

Rax and Lance both turned to face Iverson. "It's our latest best guess," Rax replied.

Shiro stared at his computer screen. "Micky the Whale Spicer. King of the Mason Tribe. He owns several strip joints in Farmington, Durango, and Platte City. All used to launder money for the tribe's amphetamine trade."

Adam spoke up as he turned his attention to Iverson. "One of the stolen DNA kits proved Spicer sexually abused several of the young children who attended his daycare centers. We were a week out from indicting him for sex crimes."

Iverson placed his hands on his hips. "You think Spicer knew it was coming?"

Adam nodded as he replied, "His lawyer is connected. He could've found out we were about to file charges against him."

Lance chose that moment to speak up. "Yup. So the Whale liquidates all three of his strip clubs in Durango for cash, hires a crew to hit the crime lab. Then destroys the evidence that could ruin his rep."

Iverson nodded, but his eyes appeared haunted. "And he doesn't mind hurting innocents along the way."

Shiro folded his arms over his body. "Well, he wouldn't last a day in prison if that ever got out." He drew in a breath, and as he released it, he said, "Let's go Whale hunting."

Iverson glanced down at the floor as Rax and Lance walked out. Iverson turned to leave and said, "Yeah."

Shiro spoke up. "Commander."

Iverson stopped and turned to face who approached him. "Everything all right?"

Iverson frowned. "Well, if that DNA evidence isn't returned sealed and intact it won't be able to be used in court, which means no justice for a lot of victims and their families. Not to mention that our jobs are on the line."

Shiro replied, "Don't worry. I'll make sure my team treats those evidence kits with extra care."

Iverson nodded, but he looked away.

Shiro asked, "How's Sarah doing? I know you're close to her."

Iverson gave his head a slight shake as he tried to find the words. "Oh, well, it's…" He gave a light laugh. "I'm not sure what do do with myself. I mean, hold her hand and there for her in case she wakes up or stay here and help find the bastards who did this to her."

Shiro shook his head. "No. No, sir. Go be with her. We're gonna find the guys who did this to her, and we'll get those evidence kits back, intact. I promise you that."

Iverson stared into Shiro's dark gray eyes as he frowned. "The first rule of law enforcement never promise results when you can't guarantee one hundred percent the outcome to make somebody feel better. I thought I taught you better than that."

Shiro nodded. "You did. But we know how important this is to you, so we're gonna get it done. Go be with Sarah, sir. If I could, I'd be with Keith instead of here, but the job is all that matters right now."

Iverson sighed as he turned his head away. "Uh, all right. And Shiro, Keith's not alone. Kolivan is with him. I thought you'd like to know that."

"Thank you, Commander."

 

Lance stared through his night-vision goggles. "Man, those ladies look like linebackers."

Rax replied, "The Spicers are a very close-knit family. The four sisters act as bodyguards."

Lance smirked. "Too bad they're criminals. We could use them in the Garrison PD football league." Lance winced as an elbow jabbed him the side. He shot a frown over at Hunk.

Hunk asked. "So, what's the plan?"

Rax replied, "We take out the four sisters with non-lethal force, hard. And then we pray that Spicer hasn't destroyed the rest of the evidence kits. All right, Lance with me on one side for a better vantage. Pidge and Hunk you stay on the one four corner."

Hunk nodded. "You got it."

Rax said he gave Lance shoulder a quick pat, "Let's go."

Lance and Rax moved out as Pidge and Hunk slipped over and approached the house form their assigned area. They ran past cars in the driveway and headed straight toward the porch where the four sisters stood in a circle armed to the teeth.

Hunk and Pidge fired their non-lethal rounds taking down two of the sisters.

Lance, from his vantage point, took out a third as Rax used a stun gun on the fourth. Hunk said, "Nobody move. Hands down."

Rax moved over to the front door. Rax using one of Pidge's inventions quickly broke the lock on the front door to the enormous mansion.

Rax and Lance entered the house. Rax turned toward the den and saw his target entertaining a woman. His evidence kit was sitting on the table in front of the couple. Rax yelled, "Spicer, don't move! Garrison PD!"

Lance yelled, "On your stomach!"

Spicer grabbed the kit and ran while the woman screamed, "Run baby!" He crashed through his expensive French doors out into the backyard where a fire was burning in a pit. He threw the kit into the flames.

Lance and Rax chased Spicer. Lance jumped, tackling the man. "Rax, the fire!"

Rax pulled out his metal baton and with a flick of the wrist had it extended to its full length. He used the baton to fish the kit out of the fire. He raised his head as Hunk and Pidge stood in the doorway. Rax spoke as he stared at them, "Check every inch of his house. Find every last DNA kit."

Hunk gave Pidge a quick tap to her upper arm. "On it, man. Let's go."

 

Iverson sat in the waiting room, Jessica strode in with two cups of coffee in her hands. Iverson rose as she passed a cup over to him. "Here you go."

He sighed as he strolled over to the doorway, and Jessica followed him and asked, "Whatever happened with you and that woman Mary you were seeing? She seemed nice."

"Mary? She was okay. She was, uhm… Well, she-she wasn't…"

"Mom?"

Iverson gazed at his daughter. "Exactly."

Jessie reached out, grabbing her dad's free hand. "None of them will ever be mom. But that doesn't mean that you can't find someone to have a happy life with."

Iverson released her hand as he switched the cup to his other hand. "Why are you so concerned with my personal life? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"Because you have a lot of years left, and it makes me sad thinking of you spending them alone. Do you know how guilty I felt when I left to take the job in Pittsburg? I knew once I left you'd sit in the house sipping coffee listening to the records you and mom collected."

Iverson quickly transferred the coffee to his other hand as he raised his free hand, stuck his index finger in her face. "Don't ever feel guilty about living your life." He let his arm drop to his side. "I'm not lonely. I get all the excitement I can handle with SWAT."

Jessica moved in a little closer. "You know mom would have wanted you to find someone."

Iverson gazed back at her. "Your mother knew when to leave me alone. I'm never gonna find that again."

Jessica glanced away but turned her gaze back on her father. "Sarah, she told me not to tell you, but you need to know. Once you got used to mom being gone, Sarah thought maybe you two would become more than friends."

Iverson chuckled as he turned his head away but turned it back to face his daughter again. "Sarah? She never said anything to me."

Jessica wiped at moisture from Iverson's right eye. "Yeah, well, you never really understood women, did you? She didn't want to risk your friendship. I mean have you ever thought about Sarah as someone you could love?"

Iverson shrugged. "I never thought she'd get over Mike. That's why we got along so well because we both lost our soul mates, you know."

"Yeah. You've survived by leaning on each other. When she gets through this, you two should talk."

 

Hunk and Pidge stepped out of the house belonging to Micky Spicer. Hunk frowned. "We got nothing."

Pidge took off her helmet. "We tore the whole place apart."

Rax gazed down at Spicer. "Where'd you dump the rest of the evidence kits?"

Micky looked up at Rax from his handcuffed position on the ground. "There are no others, just mine."

Rax frowned. "Come on, Micky. We know you unloaded those three of your strip clubs in Durango to hire a crew to take down the crime lab."

Micky's woman's eyebrows rose. "What?"

Micky shook his head. "No, I sold the clubs because I got a call from this dude. He said he had my evidence kit. Said he wanted three hundred large ASAP, or he'd drop the kit on the steps of Superior Court."

Rax removed his helmet as he ran a hand through his hair. "So, you're telling us you paid for your kit."

"Three hundred large. I didn't have a choice."

Lance frowned, but he had an idea what the answer to his question would be, but he asked it anyway. "What's the dude's name?"

Micky replied, "Called himself, Cooper."

Rax glanced toward the others before he asked, "Did you meet this Cooper in person?"

Micky shrugged. "I don't know if it was him or one of his guys, but I met this dude with a shaved head in the parking lot of McCarron International. I gave him the cash. He gave me the kit. I didn't want to die in jail."

 

Shiro faced Iverson at the hospital. "Our real suspect calls himself Cooper. He's the one who robbed the lab knowing how much those kits are worth to the criminals they belong to."

"So he out to every criminal with a major crimes case and offers to sell them their kit."

Shiro nodded. "Or he sends them back to the Garrison PD. Sir, this wasn't about a suspect stealing evidence so they could destroy it. This is the ultimate blackmail scheme."

Iverson took a deep breath and released it. "Damn, talk about the next level."

Before they could continue talking, Jessica joined them.

Shiro turned his head to gaze at Iverson's daughter. "How is she?"

"She's awake."

Shiro turned his head and gazed back to Iverson. "Whenever you think she's good to speak to us."

"I'm sure she'll want to help right away." Iverson turned and strode away with Shiro following him.

Iverson entered the room. "Sarah, can you tell us what happened?"

Sarah's voice was weak, but her eyes held determination in them. "Yes. I want them caught. They killed my friends."

Iverson motioned with his hand in Shiro's direction to enter. Iverson moved out of the way as Shiro stopped beside the bed.

Sarah gazed up at him as she spoke softly. "They were fast. They knew the layout and how to use our key cards."

Shiro hooked his thumbs into his belt. "They had it planned and knew how to burn their tracks."

"When I hit the floor, one of their empty shotgun shells rolled toward me. I hid it in the temperature control panel just in case there was any evidence on it."

Iverson half snorted. "You were bleeding out from buckshot while they set the lab on fire, and you thought about saving evidence?"

Sarah gave a slight nod of her head. "The shell—it should still be there."

Shiro glanced over at Iverson then back at Sarah. "You're a brave woman, Sarah."

 

Lance and Pidge entered the destroyed crime lab. Singed boxes and melted plastic sat on soot-covered metal shelves as they both flashed the beams of their flashlights around.

Lance commented, "It's hard to think anything could've survived in here."

Pidge continued to flash her light around. "Let's not judge any piece of evidence we find it, okay?"

"Sure," Lance replied. "Now, she said it was in a control panel."

"Yup."

Lance's beam flashed on a door in the floor. He knelt and reached out, grabbing the handle and tugged at it. The door creaked with a metallic groan as it opened. He flashed his light inside. "I don't see anything."

Pidge knelt beside him. "How far in does it go?" she asked as she leaned forward and saw a bit of orange back farther. She reached in, and her gloved hand closed on the item. She pulled it out, sitting back on her knees as she held the shotgun shell. "Just like Sarah said."

 

Inside the Lion's Den, Shiro faced Iverson while Adam stood behind him near Hunk. "Thanks to Sarah, we recovered the only piece of physical evidence from the lab robbery."

Hunk glanced up from his computer screen. "Forensics lifted a partial thumbprint they completed with digital imaging, and we got a match."

Shiro turned to the primary plasma. "Christian Hatcher, forty-one, in and out of prison since he was eighteen years old for various armed robberies. Now, Hatcher was released from Folsom a month ago after serving six years, didn't bother reporting to his parole officer."

Adam turned toward Iverson. "I got in touch with his last cellmate, who said all Hatcher talked about was the Garrison crime lab. He'd read an article about it in the paper and became obsessed with it."

Hunk added. "I ran his prison ID on his computer activity logs. He spent hours on the paper's website taking virtual tours of the crime lab."

Adam folded his arms over his body. "Hatcher had all the information online to cook up the scheme of a lifetime."

Iverson asked, "Where'd he get the name, Cooper?"

Shiro pointed at the plasma. "Check out the byline."

Hunk frowned, "Hatcher took the reporters name."

Iverson stared at the screen. "I want plainclothes detectives shadowing everyone of these suspects on the stolen evidence list."

Shiro added, "And if we don't find Hatcher, we'll follow a buyer going to him."

Iverson nodded. "All right."

 

Rax entered the Lion's Den. "What have we got?"

Lance looked up from the computer screen. "One of the suspects on the list being surveilled, the detectives just called in and said he's on the move and acting suspiciously."

Hunk gazed at his screen. "The suspect, Duke Mesker, he runs a crew out of New Mexico. He's done time for counter fitting, synthetic cocaine, and assault with a deadly weapon."

Adam joined them. "Two months ago, we found DNA evidence linking him to the murder of his mistresses boyfriend with a hand ax. The indictment was coming down next week."

Lance saw something else come up on the computer. "The detectives tailed Mesker to a bar he owns. He came out ten minutes later with two bodyguards and a duffel bag. They suspect it was filled with cash."

Hunk added, "He's dumped his phone and headed for downtown Platte City. He's got to be meeting with Hatcher."

Rax gazed at the pair of SWAT officers. "All right Lance, you tell the detectives to sit tight, don't spook him. Tell Shiro, and we're rolling."

 

Hatcher stared at Mesker. "Sorry about the short notice, but you get these kinds of deals got to happen fast, right?"

"Wasn't easy to cash out a quarter mil in one day."

Mesker passed the duffel bag over, and Hatcher passed over the evidence kit. As the deal was made the detectives raced in with their lights flashing on their unmarked car. Mesker, with his two bodyguards, stood facing Hatcher, and his two men as the detectives stopped their vehicle. The driver jumped out and raced around the driver's door with his weapon drawn. "Garrison PD! Hands where we can see them!"

His partner called out, "Let me see your hands."

Mesker and Hatcher both moved backward as the other four criminals spread out with weapons drawn.

SWAT rolled onto the scene. As Shiro piled out of the Black Lion, he called out, "Detectives, take a perimeter position! Fall back!"

Before the detective from the driver's side could comply, he was hit by a bullet. As he fell to the ground, Lance yelled, "Man down!"

Hunk rushed over, grabbed the fallen detective, and drug him behind the Black Lion.

Rax gave him covering fire, taking down one of Hatcher's men.

Shiro and Lance rushed behind the cover of a semi-trailer. Shiro grabbed his shoulder mic as he stared at Lance, who gave him no choice but to follow his man, seeing what the sharpshooter had in mind. "This is Twenty David to Command. We are taking fire from suspects! Officer down send an ambo!"

Lance rounded the semi-trailer rushing the perps from their unprotected side. He shot both of Mesker's bodyguards. He knew this wasn't the best idea he'd come up with, but he heard Shiro following. As they neared Mesker, both Lance and Shiro yelled at the same time, "On the ground! Drop it right now!"

The other lab robber aimed for the SWAT officer, but Hunk took him out quickly.

Hatcher took off running as Shiro yelled, "I got eyes on Hatcher!" He jumped into the detective's unmarked car and took off after the man with siren blaring and lights flashing.

Hatcher made it to a black van and sped off as the car Shiro drove rounded a corner.

With one hand on the wheel, he called out over the radio, "This is Twenty David to Twenty-two David. I need you to intercept a van fleeing west on Second."

Both the fleeing van and police car turned a corner. Shiro gave the car a burst of gas, and he pulled the car up next to the van.

Hatcher turned the wheel and caused the van to come down on the police car smashing into it several times. Shiro got back on the radio. "Twenty David to Twenty-two David, do you read? I'm getting beat up by this van."

Pidge replied, "Roger that! I'm heading your way."

"Aim for the cab, Pidge."

Both the fleeing and pursuit vehicles had to swerve to avoid oncoming traffic.

"Shiro, I've got him," Pidge said as Shiro slammed on his breaks. Pidge aimed the Black Lion at the van and smacked into the side pinning it to a building wall.

Pidge jumped out of the driver's side and ran over to Hatcher, yelling, "Hands on the dash! Hands-on the dash!" She reached the driver's side of the and raised her weapon to point it at Hatcher's head. "Do not move, bitch-ass!" As Hatcher complied, finally she yelled again, "Don't even look at me! Don't look at me!"

Shiro went to the rear of the van and opened the rear door. Inside evidence kits lay strewn on the floor. Shiro stepped out from behind and flashed Pidge a thumb's up.

 

Adam and Shiro walked through the halls of SWAT headquarters. Adam smiled as he winked at Shiro. "So, was Chief Sanda fuming because she can't knock you down to patrol?"

Shiro smirked. "You know it. I thought she was going to blow a gasket when Iverson told her. But what happens now with the recovered kits?"

"We started testing the recovered DNA kits. Initial reports say only nine were compromised and will be inadmissible in court."

"What happens with those nine cases."

Adam turned his head to Shiro. "We start over, work harder to find new evidence."

Shiro shook his head. "I'm sorry we couldn't save them all."

Adam stopped causing Shiro to turn around to face him. "Don't be. It could have been a lot worse," Adam said.

Shiro reached out and put a hand on Adam's shoulder. "Yeah, I'll always have your back. You had mine when I needed you."

Adam smiled back. "That won't change."

Shiro smiled back, "No, it won't."

A voice came from behind Shiro, "Will you kiss him, already?"

Shiro knew that voice well. "Lance, meet me in the breakroom. We need to talk."

"Uhm… Okay," Lance squeaked.

Adam leaned forward, "Meet me out in the parking lot. You need to catch up on your sleep."

Shiro sighed. "After I talk to Lance."

Adam raised an eyebrow, but he didn't say anything as Shiro turned and walked off toward the breakroom.

 

Shiro pushed open the door to the breakroom. He wanted to rip Lance apart for risking himself earlier, but he fought that down. He stared at Lance, who stood by the large silver refrigerator.

"Lance," Shiro said as he faced his team's sharpshooter. "What are you trying to do? Give me a heart attack? Did you not realize that rushing those guys without cover was foolhardy?"

Lance nodded. "Yeah, I realized, and I'm sorry for scaring you."

Shiro placed his hand on Lance's shoulder. "We're one man down. I don't need you doing something like that which could either get you put in the hospital or dead. Okay?"

"I promise Shiro. I won't do anything like that again."

"Good, now go home and get some rest. We all deserve some."


	15. Developments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things change and some things stay the same. And sometimes some things come at us from unexpected places.

Shiro strode toward the entrance, intent on leaving when he heard hurried footsteps from behind him. He turned and saw Hunk racing his way. "Hey Hunk, where's the fire?"

"Good, I'm glad I caught you. We have a problem," Hunk replied as he rushed into an explanation. "Hatcher wasn't the mastermind behind the crime lab robbery."

"Hold on, Hunk what are you talking about?"

Hunk took a deep breath. "Hatcher said that while he was in prison, he received information from someone he didn't know who wanted the Garrison Lab hit. He said this person had contacted through the computer while he was online. I did some digging myself, and I found evidence that he was contacted online. But this person who did the reaching didn't leave a trail on how to follow them.

"He also said once he was out of prison, he was contacted again by this person who paid him the money to put together his crew for the hit and buy the weapons they used. He didn't know who it was, but this person didn't want the evidence kits and said he could dispose of them how he saw fit."

Shiro rubbed his chin with a hand. "Thanks for the information. Make sure Commander Iverson knows about this then clock out. We're off rotation for a week."

"Okay," Hunk replied as he rushed off again.

Shiro chuckled as he pushed open the door and stepped outside into the heat of the day. He'd wanted to beat the heat, but the days' events were catching up to him as the adrenaline from earlier was starting to wear off.

He almost forgot where he parked the car as he took the step off the sidewalk if it didn't appear in front of him with Adam in the driver's seat. Shiro walked around the front of the car and climbed into the passenger seat.

Adam craned his head and gazed at his husband. "We're heading home. Your beginning to look a bit like a raccoon with those dark circles under your eyes."

"Thanks a lot," Shiro replied with a touch of sarcasm. He reached up and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, trying to work out the tension.

His phone rang, and Shiro sighed as he dug it out of his pocket. He looked down at it, seeing it was Kolivan. He pressed accept and put the phone next to his ear. "Is anything wrong?" he asked as he sat up.

"I thought you'd want to know. They're going to be taking Keith back into surgery. They're removing the tube from his head and replace the piece of skull that was removed."

"Thanks, I'll be there as soon as I can." He pressed the disconnect button and turned to Adam. "Change of plans. We need to go to the hospital. They're taking Keith back into surgery."

"You should be getting sleep, but I do realize that Keith is an important part of your life as well as mine. But once we know he's okay from the surgery we're going home," Adam replied. "And I don't want to hear any excuses out of you, mister. Your running on fumes."

 

The door to the elevator opened. Adam and Shiro stepped out of the car onto the ICU floor and into the waiting room.

Kolivan stood from his seat as the pair approached. "They took Keith up to surgery." The older man stared at Shiro. The younger man's shoulders sagged, and the bags under his eyes were so dark that a person could fall in and never find their way out.

Adam moved over to a chair and put his hands on Shiro's shoulders. "Sit down before you fall down."

Kolivan grabbed Shiro's free arm and gave the younger man a slight tug when Shiro didn't move. Once he was seated, Kolivan sat back down in his chair. "I don't know what exactly is going on, but I do know this, you care for my grandson and for that I'm grateful."

Shiro sighed. He knew what he had to do and face the fallout. He told Kolivan everything that happened and how it was his fault that Keith was here now. As he spoke, he was sure that Kolivan would hit him or their friendship would be over. That he would be told to leave, but what he didn't expect happened.

Kolivan sat quietly through the entire explanation. He turned to face Shiro. "You will always be a Marine first before a cop. Once a Marine, always a Marine, and what does a good Marine do? They follow orders, and that's what you did. I know that was difficult for you to do. But, Keith is the one who accepted the mission. None of it was your fault, and the situation Keith is in now isn't his fault either. It's the people who did that to him. They're the ones to blame."

Adam nodded from the other side of Shiro. "I've told him that, but he," and he tapped Shiro on the head, "Can't seem to get it through his thick skull."

Kolivan gazed into Shiro haunted eyes. "Did you see any action while in the Corps?"

Shiro nodded as he leaned forward, placing his chin in his hands. "Iraq."

Kolivan placed a hand on Shiro's shoulder. "I've heard from others who were there that it was awful. You're lucky you came home in one piece. I served during Desert Storm." He squeezed Shiro's shoulder. "You need to talk to someone. Not to me but to someone who can help. I think you might be going through some PTSD and this situation with Keith is only drawing it out more."

Adam gazed over Shiro's head. "That does kind of make some sense. He works himself to the point of exhaustion all the time. When he's not working, he's awake early and tells me he's fine when I ask if everything's okay. I never put two and two together."

Kolivan nodded. "It can take many forms. If I hadn't sought help after telling myself for years, I was okay only to have certain situations make me think I was back in the Middle East. I would still be a mess."

Shiro sat up and leaned his head back against the wall. Could I be suffering PTSD? He asked himself. He didn't feel like he was still in Iraq. But his thoughts started not making sense as he listened to Adam and Kolivan talk as he drifted off to sleep.

 

Allura stood in the deplaning area waiting for the man whose cultured voice still brought up memories from her past. A soft, almost shy smile pulled at the corner of her mouth as she caught sight of him.

Her bright blue eyes locked onto the man she'd worked with several years ago. Of course, he'd aged some, but the two white streaks that ran through his raven hair was a nice contrast to his dark tanned looking skin. His three-pronged goatee that hung on his chin brought her eyes to his mouth.

He strode over to her after going through the TSA checkpoint and flashing his credentials at the agents. "Allura," his voice was still soft yet firm. He took her left hand in his and brought it up to his lips. He smiled as he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.

The touch sent a tingle through her body as she gazed into his light amber eyes. Her smile grew brighter. "Always, the charmer."

He shrugged. "Guilty as charged. But which would you prefer charm or work first?"

"Work," she sighed as she frowned and clasped her hands behind her back as the pair wandered through the terminal so Thace could grab his luggage. "About two to two and a half weeks ago, I was contacted by the DEA to get one of their agents out of Zarkon's camp."

"So you said on the phone."

She nodded as her long white hair flowed down her back like a cascading waterfall. "What I didn't tell you is that I ordered one of my SWAT commanders to order his second to go on this assignment." She reached up and scrubbed a hand over her eyes. "He succeeded, but Lotor captured him.

"My man was tortured, but we freed him. He's now in the hospital fighting for his life. And I know," Allura's face turned up to Thace's. "I know there's more information we need to get from Lotor, which is one reason why I need your help. Another is that Krolia, the DEA Agent, may have information that she might not realize is important. I don't want to push her too hard for it and need a skilled interrogator like yourself to talk to her and jog her memory."

"Okay, don't worry about a thing," Thace replied as they reached the door that slid open, allowing them access to outside.

 

Shiro awoke to pressure on his shoulder along with a gentle shake. His eyelids blinked as his eyes worked to focus on the face that he knew so well. "Adam? What's wrong?" he asked as he sat up and placed his hands on the armrests to push himself up.

"Nothing's wrong. Keith is back in his room." Adam's gentle smile told Shiro everything was okay.

Shiro lifted a hand and scrubbed at his face. "How long was I out?"

"Nearly four hours but you haven't had enough sleep."

Kolivan gazed at the pair. "Adam, why don't you go home and get some rest. I'll take care of Shiro and Keith. I'm sure he'll sleep better knowing that Keith's fine."

"That's, actually not a bad idea. Thanks, Kolivan. Anything to get him to sleep besides me having to shove some sleeping pills down his throat."

Shiro cringed. "You know I don't like pills."

"I know, but you have to accept the fact that you need some help even if you can't admit it to yourself right now," Adam replied.

"All right, you two." Kolivan chuckled. "You two sound like I did with my wife before she passed." He gazed at a distant spot on the wall. "That was after Krolia was born." He turned back to the pair. "Adam, go home. Shiro, let's go see Keith."

Pidge and Hunk took the first step over the threshold of the house. "It's going to need some work," Hunk said as he glanced around the living room area where debris from cracked walls lay on the floor.

 

"The price was too good to pass up," Pidge replied. They heard a door slam from outside as they turned to find Lance wandering in behind them.

Lance stepped through the doorway. "This is it?"

Pidge grinned, "Yeah, isn't it great?"

"Yeah, if you like haunted houses," Lance deadpanned as a chill ran through him.

Pidge glared at him as Hunk wandered off. Her mouth opened to say something when they both heard Hunk yell out, "Found it."

They found Hunk staring up at the ceiling. He pointed up at the gaps in the ceiling and the water damage from the desert monsoons.

"So what were your plans Pidge?" Lance asked.

"I figured we could just fix it with some spackle and paint."

Lance shook his head. "Nope, you're going to have to replace the roof and repair any damaged wood underneath."

Pidge frowned as she sighed, and her shoulders slumped.

Lance put his hand on her shoulder. "I'll talk to my brother Luis. I've worked on some jobs with him before, so maybe he'll loan us a few of his guys from his construction company, and we can get this place fixed up in record time. But, I think I'm going to hate to see what the second story looks like."

Pidge shoved her elbow into his midsection. "Jerk."

 

Kolivan and Shiro entered Keith's room. Keith was sleeping. "I-I don't want to disturb him," Shiro whispered as he turned to leave.

"Nonsense," Kolivan hissed as he grabbed Shiro's arm. "Take the cot over there," he pointed to the cot that sat by the left side of Keith's bed. "I'll take the chair."

Shiro did as Kolivan instructed and lay down on the cot. He reached out and placed his hand on Keith's free on. He listened to Keith's even breathing and sighed as he felt his brother's hand turn and loosely grip his own. Shiro's eyes slid shut as he too fell asleep.

 

Thace entered Allura's office. Krolia sat facing the empty desk. Thace pulled off his light gray suit jacket and hung it on the coat tree in a corner. Krolia gazed up at him. "You're new."

He turned his head as he pulled out the chair that sat behind Allura's desk. He tilted his head toward Krolia as he sat down and faced her. "Yes, I'm Special Agent Thace from the FBI."

Krolia reached over the desk, and they shook hands. "Agent Krolia, DEA."

"I understand you spent years working undercover in Zarkon's camp. Tell me about it," he said as he folded his hands together.

"I went and joined Zarkon's organization about twenty-one years ago to put a stop to the poison that was starting to flood the streets. I left my son in the care of my father. I want you to know I never crossed the line between law and criminal, but I did come close."

"What can you tell me about Lotor. I understand that several agents from not only the DEA but also the FBI and other agencies went missing."

"Lotor is Zarkon's son."

Thace nodded at her statement.

"Lotor was given free rein to pursue his own agenda's while also working Zarkon's. I heard rumors that Zarkon has access to a chemical plant which was used to get rid of bodies," Krolia replied as she shivered from the thought of destroying a body in a chemical vat.

"Do you have any idea where this plant is?" Thace asked as he rubbed a hand along his chin.

Krolia shook her head. "No, I was never up to Lotor's level of," she paused for a moment, "I was going to call trust, but Zarkon only trusts one person."

Thace leaned forward. "And who might that be?"

Krolia frowned for a moment as she thought back to some conversations she'd had. "That person is called Haggar. She's a chemist and cooks up a lot of the drugs that Zarkon sells, especially the synthetic ones."

"Okay, let's talk about Zarkon's hierarchy. How is his command structure set up?"

One of Krolia's eyebrows rose. "Why are you asking me all of these questions? You aren't thinking of going undercover, are you?"

Thace shook his head. "No, actually I'm here as a favor to Captain Allura. She believes as do I you may know something of importance that you don't think is important. Any little sliver of information could topple Zarkon's entire organization."

"I don't know what I know that might do that. But as to his organization. Zarkon is at the top, then Haggar, she's known as his witch. She's also been known to use prisoners from other gangs as guinea pigs for some of her concoctions. She has a group of chemists who work under her. They call them druids, but that has nothing to do with the druids of the British Isles.

"Zarkon has his generals, and they control the troops. And Lotor had similar tastes. Only all of Lotor's generals were women. The Garrison has two of his generals in custody. Ezor and Zethrid. I would think that his third general was absorbed into Zarkon's organization."

"Can you tell me where his organization is located?"

Krolia shook her head. "He moves around. He never stays in one location any longer than six months at a time. But I'm sure he's moved again."

"How about you give me his last known location, and I'll send in a team to check it out?" he asked as his eyebrow rose.

Krolia nodded as he pulled out a notebook from his dress shirt pocket and scribbled down on the paper the address she told him.

"If you can think of anything else tell me. I'll be around here for a while."

"Thank you," Krolia replied as she shook his hand again.

 

Lance drove across Platte City towards downtown. He had one destination in mind. His mind raced with thoughts that didn't sit well with him. What if Keith can't walk? He shook his head at that one. "Stop thinking that way," he told himself.

Keith is resilient he'll bounce back, he always does. But would he? He gave his head a shake. Stop thinking like that. He told himself again. For as long as he's known Keith Kogane, the man could be a total firebrand and lose his temper, but he was loyal to a fault. He was perfect as Shiro's right-hand man.

He understood the relationship between Shiro and Keith, and he didn't want the job as second in command. Too much stress. But there were times where he stepped up and took command when the situation called for it. A slight smile pulled at his lips at the thought.

Lance nodded to himself. There was one thing for sure. He'd always have his teams back. He turned the wheel and pressed his foot on the brake, slowing down to make the turn into the hospital to the underground parking lot.

He pulled into a parking slot and climbed out of his car. Closing his door, he aimed his key fob at the door and hit the lock button and then pressed the alarm. A couple of loud beeps echoed through the underground lot.

He strode down the row of cars to the door that led into the hospital. He pulled the door open, and strode walked down the hall and made it to the elevator. He sucked in a breath and tried to calm the jumble in his mind. He could hear his sister Veronica using one of her favorite phrases on him, "Lance, you're a big boy, so put on your big boy pants and suck it up, buttercup." He nodded to himself as he released the breath.

The doors to the elevator opened, and he stepped in and couldn't help but see his reflection from the back of the elevator car. Bloodshot eyes stared back at him as he noticed the bags that hung under them. He frowned. He'd need to get some sleep soon, but he needed to be sure Keith was on the mend.

He turned and pressed the button for the ICU floor and rode the car up to the floor. He sucked in another breath and blew it out.

The car rose and bumped slightly as his stomach rose to meet his throat. And then came the second jolt as it stopped and dinged. The doors slid open, and he stepped off. As he walked into the waiting room, he didn't see Shiro or Adam around. They could be visiting Keith or came and gone. That was probably it.

He stepped up to the nurse's desk. "Is it okay to visit Keith Kogane?" he asked as his voice cracked slightly.

The nurse looked down at the schedule for patient visits. "Yes. Doctor Whitehorse cleared all visitors for Mr. Kogane."

"Thanks," Lance replied as he turned and strode past her desk and down the hall. He reached the doorway and gaped at what he saw. Shiro was asleep on a cot with Keith's hand in his. An older man sat in a chair on the other side. He struggled to come up with a name, but one wouldn't come forward.

The older man looked up and waved him in. Lance passed the cot and Keith's bed. The older man spoke quietly. "Keith will probably wake soon. I'll go down to the cafeteria to get some good coffee. The stuff they have here is sewage water that smells like coffee."

"Thanks for the tip," Lance replied a little too loud.

"Lance," he turned to face Keith. "Keep your voice down and don't wake Shiro."

"Right. Right," Lance said as he took the empty chair. He gazed at Keith head which was now fully bandaged. "I see they took out the tube."

Keith gave a slight nod, "Yeah. And they put my skull back together, or that's what Kolivan told me."

The name finally rang a bell as Lance formed a silent o with his mouth. Keith's grandpa. "What about your mom?" he asked. "Does she know?"

Keith bared his teeth at him. "She knows, and she hasn't bothered to see me." He spat.

Lance jerked back in the chair and held his hands up. "Okay. I'm sorry I brought it up."

Keith shot him a glare for a moment and then took a better look at him. "You look like shit, Lance."

Lance frowned as he leaned forward and he touched his fingers to Keith's. "I was worried, and I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. You know."

"I'll be okay. Doctor Whitehorse came in earlier and said if I keep making progress, they'll transfer me to a regular room next week."

Lance grinned and almost shouted, but he remembered to keep his voice down. "Cool!"

Keith grinned back. "They said I'd also start physical therapy after they've assessed what problems the head injury gave me and if there's any brain damage." He sighed. "It'll beat laying here in this bed doing nothing but sleeping all the time."

"Are they letting you eat?"

Keith frowned. "Not yet. They're still monitoring the kidney situation. Kolivan explained it all to me."

"Damn, that sucks man. If I can, I'll sneak you in a milkshake."

Keith couldn't keep the grin off his face. "Make sure it's one of Hunk's and not some store-bought one."

Lance grinned as he gripped Keith's hand in his. "Get better man. We need you back at work." Then he amended it as his skin darkened a little, "I need you back at work."

Keith gripped Lance's hand in return. "I'll do everything I can to get back."


	16. PTSD Part - 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro's PTSD is triggered and the result is a little frightening. Pidge, Hunk, Lance, and Rax add their ideas about what they want to be added to the house.

Shiro glanced around him as he rode in the Humvee. His squad was out on patrol investigating reports of insurgents in the area. Charlie squad was in a second Humvee while Alpha squad was in another Humvee in the lead. A hot breeze blew as the smell of dust mingled with exhaust.

Barely eighteen years old and he was on his first tour in Iraq. He hoped it would be his last. His first trip overseas and he was in the war-torn country. An elbow jabbed him in the ribs. He turned to look at his teammate Santiago. "Shiro, I'm a dad!" his teammate said as the paper he held crinkled in his head. "Mom says she's beautiful with a sweet smile." He held up the picture that was in his letter from home for Shiro to see.

He was bounced as the vehicle hit a bump. He tried to focus on the picture and gave Santiago a sheepish grin. "She's pretty. Congratulations."

"You'll have to come and visit sometime once we get back home."

Shiro nodded.

The small patrol pulled into a town square of a bombed-out town. Lieutenant Sanchez called out from the front of the vehicle. "Form into teams of two. Search the area."

The rest of the squad piled out of the vehicle when they heard the familiar thump followed by a whump as Alpha squad's Humvee blew up in a fiery explosion. Shiro dropped to the ground covering his helmet with his arm as he dropped his face into the hard-packed dirt. Men screamed some moaned as singed and charred flesh filled the air mixing with burning diesel fuel and metal.

He raised his head as his lieutenant yelled, "Get undercover!" Shiro got his feet under him when he turned to run. He was stopped by a bloody and bruised body hanging in front of him, "Keith," he whispered.

 

Shiro grunted as he threw an arm over his head. Lance let go of Keith's hand. What he could see of Shiro's face chilled him to the bone. His team leader's face was frozen in a combination of fear, horror, and pain.

Keith winced as he tried to sit up. "Shiro, wake up! Lance wake him up!"

Lance rushed over to the cot and reached out with a hand to Shiro's shoulder. He shook him as he said, "Shiro, wake up. You're dreaming."

Shiro's eyes flew open as he stared up at Lance, but they didn't seem to be in focus. A growl came from Shiro's throat as his face morphed to one of anger.

Lance gulped as he backed away. "I don't think he's awake." A high-pitched scream came from Lance's throat as Shiro leaped from the cot and hit the younger man pinning him to the floor.

Kolivan appeared in the doorway as Shiro drew an arm back and his hand curled up in a fist. He raced into the room and grabbed Shiro by the arm. "Shiro, snap out of it!"

Shiro didn't seem to hear as he fought to punch Lance. "Marine!" He used a commanding tone. "On your feet, Marine!"

Shiro got off of Lance and stood at attention in front of Kolivan. "Good, now wake up!"

Shiro blinked as he looked around. He ran a hand through his hair as his face remained blank. "Why am I standing here?" Movement out of his peripheral vision caused him to turn toward Lance. "What are you doing on the floor?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Kolivan asked.

"Laying down on the cot."

Keith spoke up from the bed. "You were dreaming."

"Yeah," Lance replied from the floor. "It must have been a bad one cause I tried to wake you up and the next thing I knew you growled at me and had me on the floor."

Shiro sat down on the edge of the cot. He shook his head as he reached a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't think it was this bad. I-I should leave. I'm a danger."

"Nonsense," a new voice came from the doorway.

Shiro looked up. "Doctor Holt," he said.

The older woman shook her head. "Colleen, please. I thought we were friends since Katie is a member of your team, and you do look out for her."

He nodded. "Why are you here?"

"I got an interesting phone call from Adam. He's worried about you, you know." Colleen stared at his face. "When's the last time you've slept? I mean really slept?"

Shiro shrugged as he slumped forward.

She reached into her purse and pulled out a prescription pad and ink pen. She wrote something down on the pad and held it out to him. "This will help you get some sleep and reduce the chances for nightmares."

"I don't like taking pills," he replied.

"That's not a problem. It also comes in a liquid form."

Lance rose from his spot on the floor, raced over, and snatched the prescription out of her hand. "I've got it. I'll get it filled." He sped out of the room.

Colleen chuckled. "You do have some devoted team members."

Shiro snorted as he shook his head and wondered why.

Colleen turned her gaze to Keith. "I also wanted to see you too, to find out how you're holding up? Are you having any problems?"

Keith replied, "No, no problems."

"Could be a delayed reaction," she replied.

Keith shot a glare at her. "I don't need to see a shrink."

"Don't you dare glare at me, young man," she replied. She shot back a glare that was known to make grown men shrink with fear. "In fact when you're released I want to start you in my office twice a week."

If Keith could have, he would have crossed his arms over his body, but considering he still had an IV in his arm, he couldn't. He blew his breath out forcefully and lay back on the bed.

"Now, Shiro," Colleen turned to him. "When that young man returns with the medication, you are to take no more than a teaspoon or a pill a half an hour before bedtime. Also, we will try something that has worked well with others that I've worked with who have PTSD."

"What's that?" he asked.

"Equine Therapy," Colleen said. She glanced down at her watch. "I have to go, but I want you to get sleep, and it looks to me like you could use a weeks' worth. Whether you get it here or at home, I don't care. After that, we'll begin working on you."

"I suppose it's good that we're off rotation for a week," he replied.

Lance returned with the medication in a small white bag.

Colleen took a good look at him. "You should go home yourself and get some rest." She glanced around and frowned. "I figured Katie would be here. I need to see her too. What happened to Keith can affect the whole team. So, I need to set up appointments for all of you."

Lance gazed at Colleen. "She's working on a project with Hunk," he replied helpfully.

"I'll call her then," Colleen replied. She spun on her heel and walked out.

Shiro glanced down at the bag he held in his hand. He had to face the truth finally. He did have PTSD. Slowly he opened the bag and pulled out the bottle of liquid which came with a small measuring cup. His hands shook as he tried to take the cap off.

Lance moved over to him. "Let me help you there, boss." He reached out and took the bottle and cup. Quickly he removed the childproof cap and poured out the required amount. He passed it over to Shiro.

Shiro brought the cap up to his lips, tilted the cap, and allowed the liquid to slide into his mouth. He quickly drank it down, and his face screwed up into one of disgust. "That's nasty."

Lance glanced down at the label. "It says you can mix it into another liquid as long as it doesn't have caffeine in it."

"Anything will taste better than that," Shiro replied as he passed the medicine cup back to Lance.

"I'll go and rinse this out. You settle down and get some sleep," Lance replied as he stepped into the hallway.

Shiro settled himself back down on the cot and silently prayed for no nightmares.

"It's okay Shiro," Keith told him.

Shiro nodded as he let go and allowed his body to relax.

Lance returned and passed the cup over to Kolivan. He moved over to Keith's bedside. "I guess I need to follow Doctor Holts advice and go get some sleep." He gripped Keith's hand in his as blush colored his cheeks.

Keith gripped Lance's hand in return. "Yeah."

Lance reached up and scratched at the back of his head. "I'll return when I can. I'm going to be helping Pidge and Hunk on their project."

"Okay," Keith replied as his body grew weary after the excitement of the day. He felt Lance give his hand another quick squeeze and heard the man's footsteps as he crossed the floor and left.

 

Adam strode into the hospital. He needed to see if Shiro had got any sleep yesterday. Since his office wasn't far maybe a ten-minute drive, he decided to stop by. As he neared the main elevators, he saw Kolivan stepping off.

"Kolivan," he called out as he sped up his pace to catch up with the former military man.

Kolivan stopped and turned. He read the worry in Adam's expression. "I guess you're here to find out about Shiro?"

"Yeah, I am."

"He's sleeping, but his PTSD came to a head last night. He had a nightmare and tried to attack Lance. He would have if I didn't stop him."

"I was afraid of that," Adam replied as he shook his head and frowned.

"Don't worry. A Doctor Holt showed up, and she prescribed him some medication to help with the nightmares. She also said as soon as he's well-rested, she wants to start therapy sessions."

"That's great. I'm glad he's sleeping, but it was lonely last night in the apartment without him."

Kolivan gripped Adam's shoulder. "Come by after work and take him home with you tonight."

"I'll do that." They parted ways. Adam intent on heading off to work and Kolivan heading for the cafeteria.

 

Pidge and Hunk stood out in front of the house as a work truck pulled in. Along the side of it was a sign that read McClain Construction. A man bearing a little resemblance to Lance sat in the driver's seat. The door gave a metallic groan as it opened.

He was as tall as Lance with black hair, a touch of a beard on his chin running along the bottom of his jawline. He was broader and more muscular. "Hello," he said to the pair as he slammed the door shut. "I'm Luis, Lance's brother. I decided to take a close up look at this place. I pass by here about three times a week, and I've admired the house."

Pidge stepped up to him. "I'm Pidge, and this is Hunk," she replied as she held her hand out to him.

Luis took her hand in his and shook her hand. Quietly he was impressed by this young woman's firm grip. As they released hands, he grinned. "So you two are the wizard's that Lance is always raving about."

Pidge couldn't stop the pink her cheeks and Hunk reached up and scratched at the back of his head. "You wanna see inside?" Pidge asked to change the subject quickly.

Luis nodded, and the three walked inside. Luis looked around, and he nodded as he made mental notes. He pointed over toward the stairs. "You been upstairs yet?"

"No," Pidge replied.

"Okay, I'll have a look," Luis replied as he climbed the staircase. At the top, he called down to the others. "Yeah, there's more water damage up here. This is going to be a major overhaul, but I think we can get it done. How much time are you looking at?" he asked as he descended the stairs.

"Uhm… Knowing Keith and the way he hates hospitals maybe two weeks at the most," Pidge replied.

"I can bring most of my crew here. Right now with it being the dry season we don't have much work, so I've got guys sitting around doing nothing. Lance will help. Have you decided on paint colors yet?"

Hunk scratched at the back of his neck. "We're in a debate about that."

"You better decide quick. I can have ten guys here working on this, and with Lance and us we can get this taken care of real fast."

Pidge groaned at the mention of Lance's name.

Luis narrowed his eyes at her as he leaned forward. "You got a problem with my baby brother?"

Pidge waved her hands in front of her. "No, no, it's nothing like that. He's been a big help, but I figured he'd be at the hospital visiting Keith."

Luis straightened up as he stroked at his chin. "He did say something did happen yesterday."

Pidge leaned forward as a gleam lit her face, and an evil smile was plastered on her face. "Do tell."

Luis shrugged, "He didn't tell us anything."

Pidge frowned as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Drats!"

 

Doctor Whitehorse entered Keith's room. He held his chart in his hands as he glanced at it. He gazed at Keith as Shiro sat up on the cot and Kolivan sat next to the bed holding his grandson.

"I have some good news," Whitehorse began. "Your neurological tests suggest that you have no impairments other than the memory loss from the blunt force trauma. But we'll get some further tests after your out of here."

Whitehorse grinned. "How would you like to get out of here in the next couple of days and into a regular room?"

"Sounds good," Keith replied.

"Also, the lab tested your urine again, and it appears the Kidney is healing well. There's just a trace of blood, and white blood cell counts look good too. So I think we can start you on a liquid diet. Nothing solid yet."

Keith sighed as he stared back at the man. "So I guess you mean stuff like broth, tea, and jello?"

Whitehorse nodded. "I'll send down for the cafeteria to send you up a tray shortly." He turned and walked out.

Shiro stood and stretched,

Keith grinned "You hear that. In a couple of days, I should be out of here."

Shiro chuckled and shook his head slightly. "Not out of the hospital but out of the ICU."

"Yeah," Keith replied. He glanced around him. "Any idea what Pidge and Hunk are up too? They haven't made their appearance."

Shiro shrugged, "I have no idea. But I'm sure they'll be here some time. I've got a feeling Lance will drag Pidge in even he has to do it with her kicking and screaming."

Keith chuckled, "Yeah."

"Shiro," Kolivan said. "Adam will be by when he gets off from work later. I ran into him this morning."

Keith stared at the older man. "You look a little better. When's the last time you ate?"

"I don't know."

Kolivan stood. "Then we have an appointment with the cafeteria. They should be serving lunch now."

Shiro shook his head. "I don't need a caretaker."

Keith glared at Shiro, "Yes, you do. If I weren't in here, your PTSD wouldn't have been made apparent. But something else would have happened, and it would have come out. You know that as well as I do."

Shiro's cheeks flushed. "You're probably right, but I'm not that old yet."

"You know I'm right. I'm your second in command, and that means looking out for you too," Keith replied.

Kolivan stood and winked at Keith. He clapped Shiro on the shoulder and spun him toward the doorway. "Let's go and feed you. I'm getting hungry myself."

 

Lance pulled up in the driveway of the large house and parked next to his brother's truck. He stepped out of the car, and Rax climbed out of the passenger side. Rax took one look at the house and whistled.

"So this is the house Pidge, and Hunk picked?" He said as he stared up at it.

Luis stuck his head out the doorway. "Hey, Lance, come on up. I'm going over some ideas with your friends here. I want to get your input too."

Lance with Rax on his heels hurried up the walkway and entered the house. Luis had a notebook open. He'd made a quick sketch of the house from the first floor and second floor. "So, Hunk wants a state-of-the-art kitchen so he can cook and experiment with new recipes. Pidge wants a room for a lab so she can continue with some of her projects."

Luis turned to Lance and Rax. "So what do you two want?"

Lance scratched his head and snapped his fingers together as his ocean blue eyes lit up. "An indoor shooting range."

Pidge shook her head. "Lance, will you get serious. We have an indoor shooting range at work."

"Well, I didn't want to mention it before, but how about a swimming pool in the backyard." He saw Pidge getting ready to protest again. "It's not just for me, but it's an ideal spot for Keith to strengthen his muscles again. And I was thinking about a therapy room too."

Pidge nodded, "Those are excellent ideas, Lance."

Hunk grabbed Lance and gave him a quick squeeze as his eyes lit up. "I'm proud of you, bro."

Luis smiled at Lance. "That's my baby brother. He does have a habit of thinking about the well-being of others before himself." He turned to Rax, "What about you?"

Rax rubbed at his chin. "I think a meditation room would be great. A place to decompress from the stresses of the mission."

Lance nodded himself. "That's a good idea too." Especially for Shiro and Keith, he thought. He turned away before the others could see his change in mood. It wasn't his place to tell them about Shiro's PTSD, that was a job for their team leader.


	17. PTSD Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith has an outburst at the hospital and Shiro has his therapy session.

Adam parked his car in the underground lot for visitors at the hospital. As he climbed out of his car, he heard an engine of another vehicle being turned on echo. Brakes squeaked from another car, and red lights flashed in the distance as another pulled out of the lot.

He glanced around him and couldn't shake the feeling of being watched as his skin prickled. He shuddered as he slammed the door shut and the car beeped as the headlights flashed in the semi-darkness as he hit the lock button on the key fob. His footsteps echoed across the hard concrete as he walked toward the door that led into the hospital.

He turned around and stopped as his mind began producing images of unsavory people that could be lurking around in between cars. But there was no one to be seen. Reaching the door, he pulled it open and stepped inside, breathing a quick sigh of relief.

He strode down the hall and turned the corner to face the elevator. His mind now focused on Shiro and Keith. The doors of the elevator opened, and he got on and pressed the button for the ICU floor.

He rode the car up, grateful for no sappy elevator music. He cringed. He'd heard enough of that today. The DA's office had no problem with stupid elevator music. His boss said that it calmed victims and witnesses down. He shook his head as he wondered how it could calm them down. It grated on his nerves.

The elevator stopped and dinged as the door slid open. He stepped out into the hall and passed by the nurse's station to Keith's room. As he stepped into the doorway, he heard Keith complaining.

"See what they give me. A cup of chicken broth, tea, jello, a frozen fruit cup, and a carton of milk." The younger man screwed his face up at the milk. "I hate milk."

Shiro shook his head and chuckled. "Keith, I think you're a little unreasonable about the milk. You like Hunk's milkshakes."

"That's because Hunk uses very little milk and a lot of strawberry cheesecake ice cream," Keith replied as he sighed wistfully. "I hope Lance remembers to bring me back one when he comes to visit next time."

Shiro gazed at Keith as one of his eyebrows rose. "So, you and Lance, huh. When's the big day?"

Keith's face turned several shades of red as he glared back at his brother. "Shiro, you're impossible!"

Adam chuckled as he strode up behind Shiro and placed his hands on his spouse's shoulders and leaned over to press a kiss to the other man's cheek. He straightened up. "Am I interrupting something?"

Kolivan gazed up at Adam. "Nothing but some good-natured teasing."

Keith took a sip of his chicken broth. He swallowed as he gazed over at Adam. "But now I want that milkshake."

Shiro shook his head. "I don't think that's exactly what Doctor Whitehorse meant when he said liquid diet."

Keith sighed as he rolled his eyes. "I know. But I do hate milk."

"Oh, Keith," Adam began, "I saw Krolia earlier today at the Garrison. She's planning on visiting you soon."

All color left Keith's face as he sat his broth cup down. His eyes flashed with anger as he gazed at Adam. "That woman is not my mother!"

Kolivan leaned forward. "Keith," he began.

"No, don't say it. She abandoned me!" His voice grew in anger. "She may be your daughter, but she's not my mother! My mother would never have left me!"

"Keith," Shiro stared at his brother. "Where is all this anger coming from?"

Keith swallowed as he closed his eyelids. He drew in a deep breath through his nose and blew it out his mouth. He opened his eyelids. He turned his gaze to his brother. "I-I don't know. I was surprised to find that the person I was to get out of Zarkon's camp was my mom. I-I know she is my mom," he turned his gaze to Kolivan, "but I can't explain it. When I think about her I…", he raised his hand to his bandaged head and groaned. "My head hurts," he whispered.

Kolivan reached over and pressed the button to call a nurse to the room. They all looked up as the squeaky shoes announced the nurse's arrival. As the young woman stepped into the room, Kolivan spoke. "My grandson has a headache."

She glanced at the monitors. "His blood pressure is up." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a syringe and ripped open an alcohol swab as she moved past Kolivan and used the swab to clean off the cannula in Keith's wrist. She removed the cap and inserted the needle in and pushed the plunger.

As Keith's eyes raised to hers, she pat his hand. "It's just a mild sedative to help you relax. If you're still having problems, I can bring you something for the headache."

"Thanks," he replied as she walked out of the room. Warmth flooded through his veins. "I think I'm going to go to sleep now."

Adam nodded as Shiro reached over and squeezed Keith's hand. "I probably need to go since Adam came here to, I'm guessing, take me home. You rest up, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Kay," Keith replied as his breathing began to even out and his eyelids closed.

 

Shiro sank slowly on the couch. Adam gazed at him. "You're tired still. Why don't you get ready for bed and I'll fix you some chamomile tea."

"Sounds good," Shiro replied as his dark gray eyes locked onto Adam's face. "What would I do without you?"

Adam's shoulders rose as he shrugged. "You'd be lost and miserable… like a little puppy."

Shiro chuckled slightly as he raised on the couch. "A puppy, you say?" His dark gray eyes glinted as he reached out and gripped Adam's wrist dragging him down on the sofa beside him. "I don't think I'm a puppy."

Adam chuckled as he reached out and placed a hand on his spouse's nose. His own dark eyes glinted with amusement. "Nose is hot and dry. No, you're a sick puppy who needs his sleep."

"Later. Right now, your wearing too many clothes," Shiro replied as he leaned forward and took Adam's lips with his own as he pushed at the lapels of Adam's suit jacket.

 

Lance stepped out into the backyard of the enormous house. He glanced around and nodded to himself as he turned and walked back inside. "Hey guys, I know another thing we need," he called out as both Hunk and Pidge looked up at him.

Pidge placed her hands on her hips as she stared up at the taller man. "What do we need now?"

"A cow."

Pidge shook her head as if she thought she hadn't heard him right. "A cow? Lance, have you gone crazy? Why in the hell would we need a cow?"

Hunk screwed his face up for a second and then his eyes brightened. "Yeah, a cow would be a good idea."

Pidge slapped a hand to her face. "Have the both of you lost your frigging minds?"

"No, Pidge. A cow would be handy. Not only would we have our milk, but we could make our dairy products from it like butter, cheese, and cottage cheese. And when the monsoon comes, our grass would be greener." Lance replied as he ticked off the reasons on his fingers.

"Not only that," Hunk chimed in. "We could have our homemade ice cream and milkshakes."

Pidge thought about it a moment. "Well, Hunk's milkshakes are legendary." She opened the back door and imagined the space for the cow and the inground pool. There was more than enough room for the cow and the pool. She turned back around to face them. "Okay the cow's in, but that cow is your responsibility."

"No problem. You'll like Kaltenecker. She's a beautiful cow."

"You named the cow?" Pidge replied as she stared at Lance.

"Sure, like you named a dog."

Pidge resisted the urge to slap him as she shook her head. "We still need to pick a paint scheme for the rooms."

"I'll agree to that," Rax stated as he walked into the room.

"Good, then let's get down to business," Pidge said as she pulled out the color chart from her back pocket.

"Wait!" Lance held up a finger. "I had a thought. Maybe we should soundproof Adam and Shiro's room. You know. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't think I want to them when they're… uh… you know."

Pidge's amber eyes narrowed as she stared at Lance's ocean blue ones. "They're consenting adults and their married for crying out loud. They're gonna have sex."

Lance leaned forward, "But I don't want to hear it!."

Pidge leaned toward Lance. "Then get some damn earplugs and put them in your ears!"

As Hunk opened his mouth to say something Rax waded in between them and put a hand on each of them and pushed them apart before they could come to blows. "Guys! Guys calm down. Let's compromise. How about we soundproof all the bedrooms, okay?"

Hunk nodded, "I agree with Rax."

Pidge threw her hands up in the air. "Fine." She still held the list of paint colors. "What about the bedrooms paint schemes?"

Lance stared down at the colors. "I want blues, to remind me of the ocean of Varadero Beach where I grew up at."

Pidge pulled out her pocket notebook and flipped the cover open and pulled out the Inkpen she carried with her at all times. "Okay, Lance is taken care of who's next?"

Hunk grinned, "I want golds and warm yellows. They remind me of some of the stories my grandma tells of the sunsets in the Samoan Islands."

Pidge grinned up at him. "That's cool." She frowned. "There's nothing here for my tech preferences, so I suppose I'll take the green colors of nature."

Rax rubbed a hand up against his cheek. "I like earth tones, like browns. I don't know why I do."

"Okay that leaves Keith and Shiro," Pidge said as her eyes glinted at Lance. "Got any ideas, Lance." A smirk pulled at her lips.

Lance turned away with a slight pink darkening his tanned skin. He crossed his arms over his chest as he thought. He raised a hand as he rubbed his chin. "Well, Keith does like the color red, and he can be a hothead at times, so I say red."

Pidge shook her head. "I don't think so. My mom says red can cause people in Keith's condition to get even angrier."

Rax stared up at the ceiling as he thought. "I have an idea. How about red, white and black."

The younger girl grinned. "That's a good idea." She frowned, "But what about Shiro and Adam. They know nothing about this house, and I would like it to be a surprise."

Rax grinned. "I have an idea. My grandpa was the first-generation SWAT in Los Angeles. Police cars, even here at that time were all black and whites, so why not black and white."

Hunk nodded his agreement as Lance grinned.

Pidge was going to be the hard sell on this idea, but she grinned. "I do like that. It's like a nod to law and order and the statue that stands in front of the courthouse."

 

Shiro watched the scenery pass by as he rode in the metallic blue Chevy Colorado driven by Colleen Holt. "Your looking better. It looks like you've gotten some rest lately."

Shiro nodded as he craned his head toward her. "Yeah, I did."

"Good. I assume that the medication is keeping the nightmares at bay?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"That's even better. We'll be at the ranch soon," she replied as she turned the wheel of the truck turning down a stretch of road that soon showed more signs of life than just the occasional cactus or scrub of dried grass on the desert floor. More green dotted the landscape as a white cloud drifted in the light breeze across the crystal blue sky.

"Adam would have liked to come along, but work has him bogged down," Shiro replied as his eyes caught sight of a cottonwood tree in the distance.

Colleen nodded as her eyes shifted from the road for a quick instant to gaze at her passenger before going back to the road. "It's difficult to balance a relationship with the type of work the both of you do, but you two seem to make it work."

Shiro let out an ironic chuckle. "In the beginning, there were times that we fought like a couple of junkyard dogs ready to rip each other's throats out. But we came to a compromise to not talk about our work at home. Though we are both on the same side of the law."

Colleen nodded. "Sam and I are the same way. We don't bring work home."

She turned the wheel of the truck off the road and pulled onto a stretch of dirt road. Clouds of dust flew up behind the vehicle. She pulled up in front of a large house and hit the brakes. Colleen glanced over at Shiro. "I'll tell Monica we're here. She'll take you to meet the horses."

Shiro's unease became apparent as he spoke. "Doctor Holt," he said as he saw her eyes narrow. "Uhm… Colleen, are you sure this is safe?"

She reached over and patted his hand. "It's perfectly safe. Don't worry. You'll be fine."

Colleen turned off the engine and climbed out of the truck. She slammed the door as her keys rattled as she dropped them into her purse.

Shiro sat in the passenger seat and watched the older woman as hints of gray shown in her blonde hair as the sun beat down on the earth. He glanced down at the watch strapped to his arm. He raised his gaze to see Colleen knock on the door, open and she stepped inside. He rubbed at his arm that started to itch. His stomach knotted. Of course, he'd seen horses on TV, but he'd never been up close and personal with one. His mouth went dry, his chest grew tight, and his heart beat faster.

His eyes focused on the door. He took a deep breath as the door opened a second time with Colleen stepping out in front of a curly-haired red-headed woman who wore a baseball cap perched on top of her head. Now or never, he thought to himself and placed his hand on the door handle and pushed the door open. He hesitated before climbing out and stood to his full height.

Colleen stepped over to him. "Sergeant Takashi Shirogane I'd like to introduce you to my friend Monica Davies. She's the equine therapist I was telling you about."

Monica held out her hand to him, and he grasped the offered hand, and they shook. "Nice to meet you," Monica replied. "Let's head back to the corral, and we'll talk."

"Okay," Shiro replied.

"I should explain," Monica began. "Most of these horses are therapy animals. I do have a couple who I've rescued from abusive horse trainers. So they're likely to be skittish and standoffish. But horses are intelligent animals, and they mirror the emotions they feel from you, and they can smell fear because their noses are about a hundred times more sensitive than ours."

He nodded as he saw a metal corral maybe five hundred yards away from their location.

"What equine therapy does," Monica continued, "is allow you to see from the horse's standpoint what other people see from you. If you're afraid, the horse will mirror that. And you will see that when your calm the horse is calm. It does help. You might not think it does, but I have several vets that my horses and I work with. But you won't be riding, not yet. You will be taking care of the animal and working it."

Shiro's head turned towards her. "Working with it?" he asked as an eyebrow raised and his forehead crinkled.

Monica nodded as they continued to stroll towards the corral. "Yes, you will learn to wash it, brush it, get burrs out of the tail when needed, even clean the hooves, feed and water it."

Monica chuckled as she caught the expression on his face. "This is part of the two of you getting to know and respect each other while learning to become a team." She glanced down at his hand and caught sight of the wedding band he wore. "We even offer couple therapy, because PTSD doesn't only affect you, but also your significant other. Equine Therapy helps to open the lines of communication that you might have shut down or not realize you're shutting your spouse out."

"I don't think we've done that, but I've never talked about Iraq either. Not with anyone until recently," Shiro replied as they stepped up to the corral.

Monica stepped up on the bottom rail of the metal fence and whistled. "Don't worry now they're just coming to check you out. Though I don't think you'll have anything to worry about Thunder or Marly, those are the two in the back."

Marly, the reddish colored horse, caught Shiro's attention. Its skin seemed to twitch more as its tail swished around swatting at insects hard and it stamped its hoof on the ground.

"What's a matter with it?" Shiro asked.

"She's frustrated," Monica replied. "You're the second person I've brought back here today, and she's telling us to leave her alone. Now hold out your hand and let the others get a smell of you. There's nothing to worry about."

Several of the other horses moved forward as Shiro held his hand out to them. He stared at the animals who shifted to get a smell of him. His eye caught movement as one seemed to push its way's through. It was the one that had a blue color to its coat with a dark nearly black face except for the white blaze that streaked down it's face to the nose with matching black mane and tail. Its ears were pricked toward Shiro, and the breath came in, and out of its nose quickly. Though the skin twitched on its chest, it confidently touched the soft, tender nose to Shiro's hand.

Monica chuckled softly. "I never thought I'd see this happen. But Thunder has picked you."

Shiro gazed into Thunder's dark eyes. He felt as if he were being drawn into the gaze. The horse stepped closer and pushed Shiro with his nose.

Monica lifted a guide rope from the side of the corral, and she handed it over to Shiro. "You need to attach that to the halter on the underside of his head, and then I'll open the gate and talk you through what you need to do."

Shiro took the rope and reached over the top rail of the corral keeping his movements slow so not to spook the horse. "That's it," he heard Monica coax from beside him. "Take it nice and slow."

He slipped the metal clasp through the circle on the back of the halter and heard a click as he released his thumb, and the clasp closed on the ring.

Monica stepped down off the bottom rail. "Lead him over here, and I'll open the gate, and you lead him out. But still, keep your movements slow but controlled. Don't yank on the rope. Give a slight tug to let him know you want him to move."

Shiro applied some pressure on the rope and led Thunder down to the gate, and Monica opened it just wide enough for the horse to leave the corral. Both Shiro and Thunder kept a wary eye on each other as Monica led them to the barn.

"Here you need to tie the rope to this hitch," Monica indicated the rail at the side of the barn. "You need to get a bucket and sponge along with the hose. You're going to run some water and add the mane and tail to the water and wash him down with it. Then rinse him off, dry him off. Then brush him including mane and tail, and I'll explain what you do next. Oh, and be gentle because Thunder has been known to bite."

Shiro groaned as he turned to face Monica. "Now you tell me that he might bite?"

"Only if you're rough with him."

Shiro nodded and collected the items needed and ran the water. He dropped the sponge into the bucket and reached into to grab it. Some water sloshed out over the side.

Monica grinned at him. "Don't worry about getting wet. Just remember to be gentle. The guy I rescued Thunder from wasn't a gentle man."

"Okay," Shiro replied as he gripped the sponge. "Where should I start first?"

"The side of his neck and work back then move to his other side."

Shiro nodded as he squeezed the sponge, letting some of the soapy water dribble down Thunder's neck. He used the sponge gently as he wiped down the neck and chest that he could reach. He moved to the shoulder and repeated the process.

Thunder turned his head and watched as again Shiro moved further down the horse's body. Thunder's skin still twitched, but he seemed calmer now than earlier. At Thunder's back hip, the horse swished his tail and smacked Shiro in the face with it.

Shiro turned his head to gaze at the horse who snorted and nodded his head. "I think he's messing with me."

Monica pulled out a blade of grass from the ground. "I think your right. This is the most relaxed I've seen this horse in a while. Usually, he's twitching up a storm. Even with me."

Shiro washed the other side and then used the hose to spray Thunder off without any more mishaps. Monica pointed over where a sizeable horse-sized towel sat, and he rubbed it over the horse.

Monica pointed out the brush. "Now you need to brush him. This is all part of the therapy, and you bond better with your horse. Make sure you get his forelock of hair on his forehead too besides his mane, tail, and body. Afterward, you'll clean his hooves."

"Clean his hooves?"

"It's like cleaning your fingernails. Don't worry. I'll show you how." The smile she flashed at Shiro was soft and not in any way mocking. "Hopefully, after all the work you put in with him, I can get a farrier out here to properly shoe him."

Shiro brushed Thunder down. He stepped back, and a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth as the horse's coat shone. "He's beautiful."

Monica smiled at Shiro. "He is. You know this is the first time he's allowed anyone to work with him. He usually stays on the opposite side of the corral with Marley." She frowned. "Now is the hard part. Like I've said before the former trainer was abusive and he deliberately injured Thunder through cleaning his hooves, so Thunder is going to fight this probably, but if you show him you're not going to hurt him and stay gentle with him you may work a miracle here today."

Monica led Shiro and showed him the horse pick and the brush for the hooves. "So, the horse pick," she held up the instrument that looked like a handle with an oddly curved piece of metal with a slight sharp head on the end of the tool. She demonstrated in the air.

"When you have Thunders hoof firmly in one hand, you'll come in at a slight angle and run this along the inside of his hoof and loosen up the dirt. From there you drag it down flat over the bottom of his foot and scrape the dirt out. Using the brush, you'll clean off any more dirt. He needs to know that with the brush it feels good on his foot and he'll trust you better."

Shiro nodded as she demonstrated how to hold the hoof. He followed her back outside of the barn holding the pick and brush. Thunder's ears began to flick in different directions. His skin twitched at a rapid pace as if a thousand flies were attacking him. He stamped a hoof down on the ground, and his tail moved at a frantic pace.

"It's okay," Shiro spoke softly as he moved forward. He stopped and placed the pick and brush down on the ground. He stepped slowly showing his hands to the horse that he didn't have the tools Thunder hated in his hands. Thunder stopped tugging at the rope and calmed down slightly as Shiro neared.

He held his hand out to Thunder so the animal could smell him again. Thunder's breath blew in and out of his nostrils, and he calmed down more. Shiro smiled as he touched his hand up to Thunder's blaze and rubbed it.

"I'm not like the man who hurt you. I could never hurt you," he whispered.

Thunder placed his nose against Shiro's chest.

"Okay, I'm going to have to call the vet so that I can clean his hooves later. But I think you both have made a great start," Monica said. "Although I want you back here about the same time next week. Then you'll learn how to muck out a stall and fix Thunder's feed."

"Does he like treats?" Shiro asked as the pair walked away.

Monica nodded, "Carrots and apples. He's a sucker for them."

Shiro felt his phone buzz, and he pulled it out and looked at it. A smile tugged at his lips. "I've got to go."

"Remember I want to see you again next week."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied as he trotted off.


	18. Adam Gets Drugged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam is drugged, and Shiro is not happy.

It was a great day and just as Adam had told Shiro about a week ago the evidence against Gilbert Bass had convicted the man. One of his assistants, Bill Halford, suggested they celebrate and Adam heartily agreed. He turned to Heather, the newest para-legal assigned to his team. "Come and join us. We all deserve a chance to celebrate."

Heather smiled, "Sure. Where are you heading to?"

"The Watering Hole."

"I'll be there."

 

Adam sat at a table along with Bill and Dana, his assistants when Heather walked in and pulled out a chair next to Adam. The waitress returned with drinks and glanced at Heather. "I didn't know there was a fourth at this table. What'll it be honey," she asked Heather.

"A beer," Heather replied.

"Any preference we have several brands," the waitress asked.

"Lite, I suppose."

The waitress rolled her eyes as she turned and walked away.

Bill turned to Dana. "Want to dance?" he asked.

"Sure," she replied as she rose from the table.

Gilbert Bass's defense attorney arrived. He strode up to Adam. "Look, I knew Bass was guilty, but I was bound and determined to give him the best defense possible. But hey as the saying goes, you win some, and you lose some."

Heather glanced around the table and saw her chance. She moved her hand over to Adam's glass and flicked her thumb against the lid popping the cap open. All she needed was just a few drops, not many. Her eyes focused on the liquid as it dropped into the drink. She brought her hand back and slipped it under the table, making sure the vile was recapped and slid it into her purse.

The two men shook hands. Adam turned back to his drink. He sipped at his glass as Bill and Dana returned. "We're going to get something to eat at the diner. You two want to come along?"

"I'll join you," Heather said as she rose from her chair.

Dana grinned at Adam. "You want to come along too?"

"Nah, I think I'll finish my drink. You all go on," he replied as he took another drink and the other three left.

Dana and Bill left deep in conversation with Heather following.

Loud music blasted out of a jukebox on one side of the room. Couples danced on a dance floor while waitresses moved about taking orders.

Adam continued to sip at his drink. Adam smiled up as the waitress returned with the beer. She frowned at the empty seat. "That'll be twenty-two dollars," she said as she placed the beer and glass down on the table.

Adam reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, pulling out a few bills. She glanced down at the two twenties he handed her. "I'll be right back with your change."

He shook his head. "Keep the change."

She smiled brightly at him. "Thanks, doll," she said as she pocketed the money. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm getting ready to leave as soon as I finish this," he replied as he hefted the glass off the table. She walked away to check on another table. Adam's vision blurred, and he shook his head. This shouldn't be happening. I haven't finished my drink yet, he thought.

He stood up as his stomach churned like he wanted to throw up and dizziness struck him if he'd drank a dozen highballs. Oh, hell, he thought as realization slapped him in the face. He'd been roofied. His head fuzzed like it was stuffed with cotton as he glared at the glass in his hand. He set it down on the table as he rose from his seat and stumbled, taking a step away from the table.

Adam's hand fumbled into his pocket, and he pulled out his cell phone and pressed the speed dial function on it.

People were out of focus as he heard Shiro's voice from the other end. "Hello?"

"Shiro… help," Adam said as people began to go in and out of focus. "I think someone put something in my drink."

"Adam, listen to me. Where are you?"

Thinking became a problem. Adam's thoughts wouldn't come together. "I-I'm not sure. I can't think."

"I'll have Marco ping your phone. Go to the bathroom. Lock yourself in. Do you hear me?"

Adam nodded, "Yeah, I hear you. I'm heading there now." He stumbled across the room as he managed to get one foot in front of the other. The room began to spin as he pushed his way through the restroom door. He had to use the stalls to hold himself up as he wandered down the row and found an unoccupied stall. His fingers fumbled on the lock, but he heard it click. He lost his balance and stumbled backward falling into the brick wall striking the back of his head against the brick wall and slid down to the floor with his phone still in hand.

 

Shiro stood in Keith's room as he quickly dialed Garrison SWAT. "This is Sergeant Shirogane of SWAT. I need Marco McClain NOW!"

Keith stared up at Shiro from his bed. "Shiro, what's wrong? What's the matter with Adam?"

Kolivan leaned forward in his chair as Shiro paced the room.

Keith rose up, but the pain from his abdomen from his kidney surgery shot through his body. He winced as Kolivan stood and pushed him back down onto the bed gently. "There's nothing you can do to help right now."

Shiro ignored what was happening behind him. "Marco, I need you to ping a phone. The number is 555-4328." He listened to Marco. "Okay, thanks, Marco. Call for EMS send them to that address. I'm on my way." He turned to Keith and Kolivan. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."

Kolivan waved a hand in Shiro's direction. "Go."

Shiro ran out of the room without a second glance behind him.

 

Shiro drove across town to the location that Marco had given him. He pushed his way through couples dancing and people talking to the restrooms. He ran into the men's room. "Adam! Adam!" he called out as he pushed open stall doors. He pushed on the last door, but it wouldn't budge.

He dropped down to the floor and saw Adam sitting on the floor, his head hanging down toward the floor. "Adam!" He slid under the door and reached Adam's side. Pulling his husband into his arms, he tilted his head back and tapped on his face. "Adam, Adam, can you hear me?" Adam didn't twitch. Shiro pressed two fingers against Adam's neck and sighed as his spouse's pulse throbbed strong. He held Adam as he cradled his husband and pushed his face to the top of Adam's head as he rocked him.

He heard a call from beyond the door as the medics were on the scene. "I've got to get them in here," Shiro said as he released Adam and stood to unlock the stall door. Shiro raced to the swinging restroom door and pushed it open. "In here," he yelled.

The EMT's brought the gurney into the restroom. Shiro stood to the side to stay out of their way as one of the medicals did a quick scan of Adam and took his vitals. He turned toward his partner. "He's got a bump on the backside of his head."

Shiro kept his eyes focused on Adam as the pair got his spouse on the gurney. One slipped an oxygen mask over his face while the other took a blood sample for the hospital. As they moved to leave one of the EMT's asked, "Is there a specific hospital you want him taken to?"

"Platte City Hospital," Shiro replied as Adam's eyes began to open. Shiro said, "Hey, hang on a second," he said to one of the medicals. The gurney stopped, and Shiro ran a hand through Adam's curls. "They're taking you to the hospital to get checked out."

Adam tried to reply, but instead, the only sound was a muffled moan. He nodded, and his eyes closed again.

Shiro brushed his thumb against Adam's temple as he leaned over Adam. "I'll be right behind."

Shiro ran to his car and climbed into the driver's seat. He watched as the medical men loaded Adam into the back of the ambulance. As the ambulance pulled out, Shiro pressed down on the gas pedal and pulled out behind the ambulance.

Even though it was a twenty-minute ride, Shiro couldn't stop himself as he slapped the steering wheel. "Please be okay," he whispered to himself.

 

Shiro paced in front of the exam room. He had tried to sit down, but he couldn't sit still. Doctor Stone stepped out as Shiro turned and practically pounced on the physician. "Is he okay?"

"Yes," Stone replied. "But he's going to have a monster hangover because of the side effects of Rohypnol besides a mild concussion. He's lucky. If he were a woman, I'd be ordering a rape kit. But I want to keep him here overnight, so we'll be sending him up to a room."

"Could you put him in Keith Kogane's room for tonight?"

"Is Mr. Kogane out of ICU?"

"Yes, he was just transferred to a regular room this morning. Room 231."

"That won't be a problem."

Shiro let out a pleased sigh. "Good. Is he awake? Can I talk to him?"

"Yes to both questions."

"Thank you, doc," Shiro said as he pushed his way past the privacy curtain.

Adam lay on the bed. He looked up at the rustle of the curtain.

Shiro crossed the room standing next to the bed. "Hey."

Adam gazed at his spouse. "What happened?" he asked.

"You fell in the bathroom and hit your head, that's all," Shiro replied as he reached out and took Adam's hand in his. "Do you have any idea who did this?"

Adam frowned. "No, I'm careful about my drinks, especially at The Watering Hole. I don't know why I didn't keep my full attention on it. I always do."

Shiro brushed his thumb across the back of Adam's hand. "Come on, Adam. Don't blame yourself. Tell me what happened."

Adam sighed. "Like I told you last week after we got Gilbert Bass's evidence kit back. Thank god it wasn't tampered with. We introduced it into trial and today we got the guilty verdict back. Guilty on all counts."

Shiro cracked a small smile. "Congratulations."

"Thanks although I couldn't have done it without my team they worked hard. So, Bill suggested we go to The Watering Hole for drinks. It's just a ten-minute drive from the office, and I figured what could it hurt. We also had a new paralegal who was struggling to catch up, Heather. So I invited her to join us.

"We got a table, and we were talking. The waitress came by, took our orders, and came back with the drinks. Heather joined us, and she left to get Heather's order. Bill and Dana went dancing, and Gilbert's defense lawyer came by, and that's when I turned away. That has to have been when the Rohypnol was put into my drink."

"Any idea of who could have done it?"

"I have one, but I don't want to blame her since she's new."

Shiro stood and gazed down at Adam. "Heather." He turned his head as his dark gray eyes hardened. "Can you describe her?"

Adam closed his eyes as he tried to focus on her. Heather was a bit blurry, but slowly she came into focus in his minds' eye. He eyelids opened. "She has a short hair cut in a longish bob I think with dark hair that has a blue tint. Dark almost bronze skin and the most striking azure eyes. Not as blue as Lance's but with a hint of purple. Uhm… she's around five feet ten inches with an athletic build."

"I'll call the Garrison and have an APB put out on her for questioning. They're going to move you to Keith's room."

Adam nodded as Shiro walked out.

 

Adam's bed was wheeled into Keith's room. Shiro entered and sat down on the side of it and took Adam's hand in his as Keith and Kolivan watched quietly. Shiro gazed at Adam's face. "How are you feeling now?"

Adam glanced out the window. "Like I've been run over by a semi." He shook his head slightly. "I still can't believe this happened."

Keith gazed at them. "What happened?"

"Adam was roofied."

 

Acxa drove down the street and parked in a lot near the Garrison. She couldn't go back to that woman since she didn't follow her orders, and she didn't want to go back to Zarkon.

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed the only person she could trust right now. Her leg bounced on the floor as she again looked around her trying to make sure she was safe. She heard, "Hello?"

"Krolia, I need help. I'm in a mess."

"What's wrong? Did Zarkon discover you were my CI?"

Acxa shook her head. "No, I-I was given to a woman to follow her orders, but because I couldn't go through her plan, she'll kill me," she replied as her voice shook.

"What did you do?"

"I can't talk about it over the phone."

"Come to Garrison PD I'll be waiting for you."

"Okay," Acxa replied as she put the car into gear and headed for the sprawling group of buildings out in the desert.

 

Krolia stared out across the lot as a car turned in and found a parking spot. She knew the woman who stepped out of the vehicle and hurried across the asphalt towards the DEA agent.

As she neared, Acxa glanced left and right. "Let's get inside. I'm not safe here."

Both entered the building. Krolia had become a fixture around Garrison SWAT headquarters since she'd gotten out of Zarkon's base. But since Zarkon had a habit of moving his operations, she didn't know if he was still at his last known location.

Krolia led Acxa to an interrogation room. They both stepped inside. "Now, what happened, and why are you so nervous?"

Acxa took a deep calming breath. "Several months ago, a woman by the name of Nicey Maddox came to Zarkon. She blames both SWAT and the DA's office for the conviction of her cousin, and she wanted Zarkon's help to get revenge. He brushed her off.

"She returned and told Zarkon how she was behind the robbery at the Garrison Lab. That got his attention. She also said she had more plans that would draw SWAT's attention away from his operation. He liked that idea and his chemist Haggar was there, and she'd agreed. So he ordered me to go with her. I was to be her right-hand man.

"Part of her plan was for me to infiltrate the DA's office, which I did. Her goal was Deputy DA Adam West and Sergeant Takashi Shirogane. She found out they are married, and she wanted me to slip Adam Rohypnol and get him to a secure location and then…" she swallowed as she licked her lips and tears came to her eyes. "She wanted me to rape him. I did slip him the Rohypnol, but I couldn't carry it out. He's too nice a guy, and I couldn't do that. So I told myself if she wanted it done she'd have to do it herself because I wouldn't be forced to carry out such an ugly thing that might not only destroy his life but his marriage."

Krolia reached out and gripped her hand. "You did the right thing by coming here. Sergeant Shirogane is going to be pissed, but he'll be grateful you didn't carry out her plan. But you're going to have to repeat your story and give any information you know to the FBI, Garrison SWAT, and myself."

Acxa wiped at her eyes and sniffed. "I'll do anything to make things right and get out from under Zarkon's thumb."

"Good," Krolia smiled. "You might be the first big break we've got."


	19. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some shocking events take place.

Shiro lay with his head resting on Adam's chest in the hospital room, both Adam and Keith shared. Images of finding Adam on the restroom floor of The Watering Hole replayed over and over again. How close had he come to having this man taken away from him, Shiro asked himself. He listened to the steady breathing that told him both Adam and Keith were sleeping.

He tried to quiet his mind, but the quiet wouldn't come. His phone buzzed. Shiro sighed as he sat up on the hospital bed. He pulled the phone from his pocket and looked at the text message.

Adam stirred. "Shiro?"

"It's work, I have to go," Shiro replied in a whisper. He leaned over Adam and pressed a kiss to his husband's lips. "I'll return when I can. If I can't, I'll call. When they release you If I'm not back by that time call Lance or Hunk to give you a ride to your car."

"Sure, and Takashi be careful."

"Always."

 

Shiro entered the Garrison as he strode through the hallway towards Allura's office he nodded to several others who called out at him. As he approached her door, he hoped he could keep his calm, after all, if it hadn't been for her or the DEA Keith wouldn't be in the hospital now. He forced his face to one devoid of any emotion and knocked on the door.

He heard a muffled voice allow him entrance from the other side of the door. He grabbed the knob, turned it, and stepped through rotating to close the door behind him. His attention was drawn to the man sitting in a chair in front of Allura's desk.

Allura stood, "Sergeant, I'm glad you came so quickly."

Shiro nodded, "Your text said that you had the person who put Rohypnol in Adam's drink."

"Yes," Allura replied. "She's Krolia's CI from Zarkon's group. But before I allow you to question her first, I must introduce you to Special Agent Thace of the FBI." Her cheeks flushed slightly as she said the FBI agents name. "He's one of their top interrogators."

Thace stood and held out his hand, which Shiro took as the two men sized each other up.

"And what now?" Shiro asked, turning back to face Allura.

"You can question Acxa, but Thace and Krolia will join you. Afterward, I want you to question Lotor."

Flames burned behind Shiro's eyes at the mention of Lotor's name. He'd like nothing more than to be in the room with the man who tortured Keith, but alone so he could give him a taste of what he did to his brother. He fought to keep his emotions in check, "Alright," he replied as he clenched his teeth together and his jaw bulged.

Allura stepped out from behind her desk. "I know, you still haven't forgiven me for what I ordered you to do, and honestly I don't blame you. I'm sorry it came to what happened to Keith. And I know you're also upset about Adam. I am too. He's a good friend to the Garrison."

Shiro's dark gray eyes stared at her. He unclenched his jaw as an eyebrow rose. "Are you?" he said as he turned and stormed to the door and opened it forcefully and closed it again behind him with a little slam.

Thace watched the display in silence. He turned to Allura, "It seems he's taking all this personally?"

Allura nodded silently before turning to Thace. "He's the man I ordered to send his second into Zarkon's den to get Krolia out. And Keith is very close to him. They're as close as actual brothers, not just brothers in arms. And he's been anxious about Keith. But to have his husband attacked too? That could break a weaker man."

"I understand," Thace replied. "I also understand that it hurts you too."

"Yes, it does. I want things to go back to how they were before all this happened." She moved back to her desk and picked up a report. "Shiro is also struggling with PTSD, according to Doctor Holt. But he's in therapy for that with her. I hope things will get better. I don't want to lose him. He and his team are outstanding in what they do."

"Then I'll try to do what I can to help you out, and once that's finished, we can move on to something a little more personal," Thace replied.

A slight blush darkened her cheeks. "Your still a rogue."

"A rogue you like," he replied with a wink.

 

Shiro refused to look left or right as he made a beeline for the restroom. He pushed the door in and glanced around, hoping no one was in there. He shook his head. He'd lost his cool with Allura. He'd seen the report sitting on top of her desk from Colleen Holt. Why couldn't I hold it together?

He knew Allura meant well, but yes, he still blamed her for Keith being in the hospital. Have I forgiven myself? He asked himself. But Adam was different. Adam was innocent, and he'd been attacked. He needed answers, and he was damn well gonna get them today.

He reached out and turned on the faucet for the cold water and bent over the sink, cupping his hands together under the stream of water. He splashed the water in his face. He turned his head as he heard the door opened and reached up to grab a paper towel, used it to wipe his face.

"It's okay Shiro. It's just me."

Shiro balled up the towel and tossed it into the waste can by the sink. He crossed his arms over his chest as leaned back against the sink. "Did Allura send you to check up on me, Matt?"

"No, but we did have a team leader meeting earlier. She told us about Adam. I'm sorry it happened. Is there anything I can do?" Matt replied as he placed a hand on Shiro's upper arm.

"Think you can get me five minutes alone with Lotor?"

Matt shook his head. "That's not possible. He's under special guard."

Shiro let out a sigh. "So what were you told about Adam?"

"Just that he was drugged." Matt gave Shiro's arm a quick squeeze. "Is he okay?"

The corner of Shiro's mouth turned up in a humorless smile. "Yeah, but he's got the hangover from hell and a bump on the back of his head."

Matt pursed his lips and let out a low whistle. He turned his head away and then turned back to face Shiro. "I'm not sorry I ever introduced you and Adam. And I was so proud to be his best man at your wedding."

Shiro shot him a glance. "Are you trying to distract me?"

"Is it working?"

Shiro let out a soft chuckle. "Maybe." He tilted his head back to stare up at the lights in the ceiling. He blinked a couple of times. "That was a great day with Keith as my best man."

Matt nodded. "You need to focus on the good things you've got going for you. And Keith is recovering, right?"

Shiro nodded, "Yeah. He was moved out of ICU yesterday into a regular room. The doctor says he wants to get Keith up and moving to see if there are any other neurological problems other than his memory which thankfully he can't remember the torture he went through at Lotor's hands."

Matt nodded as he gave Shiro's arm another squeeze. "Remember, I'm here for both you and Adam, anytime you want to talk. Okay?"

A smile tugged at Shiro's lips as he straightened up. "Thanks, Matt," he replied as he clapped a hand against Matt's shoulder. "Thank you for being here."

 

Shiro entered the interrogation room with Thace following. Thace took a seat facing the woman who had passed herself off as a woman named Heather. Shiro turned his gaze to Krolia, who sat beside her.

Acxa cleared her throat as she stared up at Shiro. "I'm sorry, Sergeant Shirogane, I didn't want to drug to Adam."

Shiro clenched his jaw together. He curled his fingers up and balled his hands into fists. What he wanted to do didn't matter. What mattered was to find out why and who was behind it, he reminded himself. He sucked in a deep breath and then slowly released it. Once calm, he stared at her as he stepped up the end of the table. "Let's start with your name."

"Acxa. My name is Acxa."

Thace leaned forward. "I'm Special Agent Thace, with the FBI. What was your function within Zarkon's organization."

Shiro ground his teeth together. He wanted to know why she drugged Adam. Nothing else, and this guy from the FBI just swooped in and took over. He leaned against the wall resisting the urge to knock the guys head off.

"I started as a gopher and go-between with the gangs and Zarkon. Lotor pulled me in with him. And I became what he called one his generals. It was good, but then things began to spiral. It was like a power struggle was starting to form between Lotor and Zarkon. I helped Lotor recruit people for his crews. But one day I was approached by Krolia. I became a CI for the DEA. But then this guy shows up, and Krolia got out. I didn't know what to do. I wanted out, but Zarkon pulled me back into his fold. Then this woman showed up, Nicey Maddox. She was upset and wanted Zarkon to help her get her cousin out of prison. She claimed he was wrongly convicted.

"Zarkon sent her away. She returned last week and told Zarkon she was the one behind the attack on the Garrison Lab and she had more things planned for SWAT and the Garrison to keep their attention away from Zarkon. He liked the idea and turned me over to her to be her right-hand man, woman. I don't know. She was pissed. She researched Deputy D.A. Adam West and found out that he was in a same-sex marriage with Sergeant Shirogane, who she also blamed for her cousin's conviction."

Shiro stood up straight as he remembered the woman who had confronted Adam in the Emergency Room. He placed his hands down on the table and leaned forward, concentrating on what Acxa said.

"Nicey wanted me to drug the Deputy D.A., take him to a secure location, rape him and film it." She jumped as Shiro smashed a fist into the table's surface. Pain evident on his face.

Acxa hesitantly reached out to grip Shiro's hand as she looked up into his eyes. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't carry out what she wanted me to do. He's a nice man. I was offered a way out, and I took it, leaving him there at the bar. Yes, I did drug him, but I couldn't carry out the rest of her plan."

Shiro closed his eyes. "For that, I'm grateful."

"I couldn't return to her without evidence of what I was supposed to do. She'd be furious and kill me. And I couldn't go back to Zarkon either, because he'd do the same. So I called Krolia, and she told me to come here."

"I felt it was the safest place for her," Krolia added.

Shiro nodded as he stood up straight. "Unless Zarkon has someone here on his payroll."

Thace nodded. "He had one within the FBI that I helped to root out." He focused on Acxa again. "Do you know if he has anyone within the Garrison?"

Acxa shook her head. "I don't. I was never privy to those kinds of plans."

Shiro couldn't stop the frown. "How do we find this mole?" He turned his head to Thace.

"We'll have to talk to Lotor."

"Let's do it in here in front of Acxa," Krolia glanced between Thace and Shiro. "If he tells us something that Acxa knows isn't right, she can tell us by giving an agreed-upon signal."

"Like what?" Acxa asked as she glanced around at all three people in the room with her.

"Pull at your ear, lobe," Thace replied. "Give it a tug like this," he said as he brought his hand up and pulled on his lobe.

Acxa nodded. "I can do that."

 

Allura stood on the other side of the two-way glass listening to Acxa's story. She sucked in a breath as Acxa said what she was supposed to do to Adam. Her hands moved up to her chest at the same time that Shiro slammed a fist into the table.

She didn't hear when Matt Holt moved up and stood beside her. He cleared his throat as Acxa continued with her story. "It's hard to hear, isn't it," he said.

"Yes, it is. Shiro's been through so much. I hate adding to his burden, but I knew he needed to be here to hear this," Allura replied as a single tear threatened to drop from her eye.

Once Acxa finished, Krolia suggested bringing Lotor in the interrogation room. Allura turned to Matt. "Bring Lotor here."

"Yes, ma'am," Matt said as he hurried away.

 

Thace went to stand as the door opened and Lotor was led in by Shay with Matt following. "I think this is a little too much, don't you think?" he asked as he directed his comment to Matt.

"With Zarkon's son, no, I don't think so," Matt replied.

Lotor sighed and then his eyes focused on those about the room. His eyebrow rose as he focused on Krolia and then Acxa. His eyes turned to Shiro. "I know you from somewhere," he said as his eyes turned to Thace. "I've seen you before."

Thace raised an eyebrow as Lotor took a seat. "So what do you want to know?" he asked.

"You seem very accommodating for a prisoner who's accused of not only assaulting a SWAT officer but kidnapping and torturing that very same officer. Along with killing several federal agents, and various other crimes which will get several life sentences," Thace replied. "So what can you tell us about your father's organization."

"A lot," Lotor replied, "but first I think we should get some details straight. I don't work for my father."

Acxa pulled at the lobe of her ear.

Lotor smiled. "Very good, Acxa. The predetermined signal to let you all know I'm lying. But unfortunately Acxa this time I am telling the truth. I'm actually with the ATF."

Shiro's eyes grew. "There's no way in hell your with the ATF after what I saw you do to Keith. You tortured him!"

"I assure you I am. I was turned as an asset and then became an actual agent several years later. I've been building a case against my father for years. But I had a part to play, and that was the Prince of Zarkon's empire. I believe I played it very well."

Shiro rushed forward, "I don't believe you!" he yelled as he reached out, trying to wrap his hands around Lotor's throat. Pressure on his shoulders stopped him from reaching his target.

All he saw was Lotor. His jaw clenched as he fought to break free when he froze as he heard a voice in his ear. "Takashi don't do this. Don't stoop to Lotor's level."

He craned his head to see Adam with his hands on his shoulder. "Adam?" he said quietly as his eyes widened. "How did you get here?"

Adam smiled. "I called after I was released, but I was told you were in interrogation, so I called Hunk, and he gave me a ride. But I just knew something was wrong and thank goodness Hunk listened to me. He brought me here, and we were in time to stop you."

Hunk clapped a hand on Shiro's shoulder. "Good thing too. Man, I didn't know you could be so strong."

Now that he was finding his center again now that Adam was beside him, Shiro brought his eyes back to Lotor's face. "I still don't believe your ATF."

Lotor nodded, "Oh, I assure you I am."

Shiro turned his head to look at Hunk. "Go get Marco to contact the ATF to ask for any of their agents in the area."

"On it," Hunk replied as he rushed out of the room.

Hunk hadn't even been gone five minutes when he returned with a computer printout. He grinned. "Captain Allura is on top of it. Marco was in contact with the ATF, and it turns out Lotor is one of their agents. Their Director confirmed it."

Lotor held out his hands, "Would you mind removing these handcuffs." As Shay moved forward to unlock the handcuffs, Lotor trained his gaze on Thace. "Five years ago there was a convention of law enforcement officials from around the country in Las Vegas. You were a speaker about Interrogation Techniques. I sat in on that one."

Thace nodded, "I was."

"I would have stayed for the question and answer session afterward, but I was called away."

"This is unimportant," Krolia replied. "We need information on how to take Zarkon down."

Lotor rubbed at his wrists. "To take my father down will be difficult, but I know it can be done. You have to hit him where it hurts, and that is his profits. You see he values money over anything else, well, almost anything else. He has a strange attraction for his chemist Haggar. I was trying to take his assets when your man arrived." He glanced toward Shiro.

"I'm sorry, truly, I am. But I had a part to play to convince Zethrid, Ezor, and Acxa of my loyalty to my father. And then, Sendak arrived." Lotor shuddered. "Sendak is completely loyal to my father, and I knew if he found the DEA's operative, she would be dead." He shot a pointed look in Krolia's direction. "That's when I took it upon myself to ferret you out and try to get you out of my father's organization."

"Then, why did you kidnap Keith and torture him like you did?" Shiro asked as his cheeks flushed, and his breath rushed in faster as he gripped his hands in clenched up fists.

"Zethrid takes everything to the extreme. She struck him with a bat to the head. She wanted to kill him, but to appease her, I allowed her to beat him with her fists. I hope she wasn't too rough on him."

"He had to have kidney surgery and a craniotomy to repair a busted blood vessel in his brain," Shiro replied as he growled still wanting to pummel Lotor within an inch of his own life. "Thankfully, he can't remember past getting hit in the head."

Krolia's eyes grew as she gasped. She knew his injuries were bad but not that bad. She dropped her head down into her hands as a whisper escaped her lips. "My son."

"I can see your anger towards me speaks volumes, but I tried to keep his injuries to a minimum," Lotor stared up at Shiro.

"You put my brother in the hospital and expect me to be happy with it?"

"I can see that everything I say will not appease you. How about I give you the name of the mole in the Garrison that Zarkon has in his back pocket?"

Shiro crossed his arms over his chest. "We're listening."

"Chief Sanda."

Gasps exploded from around the room. "You can't be serious!" Matt shouted.

"I am. Have you noticed instances of odd behavior out of her in the past several months?"

Before they could continue, Captain Allura stepped into the room. "Shay, Hunk would you two-step outside and don't let anyone else in here, please. And make certain that the sound is off. I don't want Sanda's assistant, Sniv hearing anything."

Hunk and Shay exited the room.

"I believe Lotor about Chief Sanda," Allura announced to the room.

"You can't be serious?" Shiro exploded.

"Think about the facts. Sanda has been hounding me for months about unnecessary budget cuts to weaken SWAT's effectiveness. Then there's the reluctance she's shown about forming a third SWAT team. I've wanted a third team for the past two months, but she resisted me every step of the way until Keith, and I had to take you and your team off rotation, Shiro."

Shiro's eyes grew as he began to see where she was going with this. "And finally was the threat to Iverson and me over the robbery of the Garrison Lab."

Allura nodded. "Yes, and I believe that's why Sniv is around. He's acting as her snitch and reporting what we are doing to Sanda."

"So how are we able to dig up information on her without her finding out that we've been looking at her bank records?" Matt asked. "I mean Pidge could do it, but I don't want it traced back to my sister."

Shiro smiled for the first time. "I have an idea, but it's not exactly legal."

Allura nodded, "Do it." She gazed at Lotor. "We need to make it appear you are still a prisoner. If she comes after you in any way, shape, or form, we need to catch her in the act of trying to kill you."

Lotor gave a curt nod. "I understand. I'll help and be the bait. Anything to put another nail in my father's coffin and take down another of his moles."

"Good, thank you, Lotor," she replied.


	20. First Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of first steps are taking place to discover.

Captain Allura looked up from her desk as she signed off on another report to send to Commander Iverson. "Ah, Curtis, thank you for coming here." She handed him a slip of paper. "Shiro would like you to send Griffin to that address."

Curtis scratched at the back of his head as he took the paper from her hand. "Why doesn't he have one of his team do whatever it is he wants?"

"I can't answer that question. But this is of the utmost secrecy. And do not say anything to Sniv about this if he asks. I shall explain everything later."

Curtis still bewildered nodded. "Okay, Captain."

 

Griffin drove toward the address that Curtis had given him. Why was everything so hush-hush all of a sudden? Did this have anything to do with Zarkon or even Lotor?

He pulled into the parking lot and parked next to a car he recognized. It was Shiro's car. He turned off the ignition and opened the door. His feet touched the ground as he slid out of the driver's seat. He looked at the apartment's door and looked down at the address again.

Griffin walked down the walkway to the door and knocked. He heard a voice from inside, say, "Just a sec." Followed by the door opening and some beeps by the door. An alarm system? He's not taking any chances, Griffin thought.

"Come in," Shiro said as he directed him into the apartment. "I'll be with you in a minute." He pointed for Griffin to take a seat on the couch.

Shiro shut the door behind in and reentered the alarm code. "You can never take too many chances." He stepped over to the couch and sat down on the other end. "I guess you're wondering why I asked you to come here instead of meeting you at the garrison."

Griffin nodded as he brushed his brown bangs out of his face. "Yeah, you could say that."

"I feel I can trust you, and what I'm going to ask you to do isn't exactly legal."

Griffin grinned. "I do like challenges."

"Okay. I need you to get your friend Te-Osh to run some checks on Chief Sanda's bank accounts and also look for any hidden accounts anywhere that she might have and if you find anything hinky then trace it back to its source."

Griffin swallowed, and his Adam's apple bobbed. "Why not get Pidge to do this?"

"I would, but we're under surveillance by her assistant Sniv. We believe she's working quietly for Zarkon and if she is we need the evidence." Shiro sighed as he leaned forward. "Look, Griffin, I know you care for your friend. But we need this information."

Griffin leaned back into the sofa's back. "Okay, I'll do it. But if anyone comes after Te-Osh, I'm bringing her into the Garrison for protection."

Shiro nodded. "That's fair."

 

Hunk parked his car next to two work trucks and a van. As he climbed out of the car, he turned as he heard someone calling his name.

"Hunk! Hey," Lance ran up to him. "So where'd you run off to for so long?"

Hunk shook his head as he rubbed the back of his neck. I wasn't precisely sworn to secrecy. He thought as he gazed into his friend's ocean blue eyes. "Well, I had to go pick up Adam at the hospital, and then we went by the Garrison."

"Adam? Why was Adam at the hospital?" Lance frowned and suddenly gripped Hunk by the arm. "Nothing happened to Keith. He didn't take a turn for the worse, did he?"

Hunk shook his head as he fished his orange headband from out of his pocket and tied it around his head. "No, Keith's fine. He's out of the ICU and in a regular room now."

Lance sighed in relief. "That's great. Now back to Adam," he said. "Spill."

"Lance, you can be such a gossip," Hunk replied.

Lance lowered his voice, "You can trust me Hunk when it involves Shiro and Adam. I can keep my mouth shut." As his friend went to open his mouth, Lance held up his hand. "If this affects the team we need to involve Pidge and Rax in this, or they'll be angry if they find out that we knew, and we didn't tell them."

"I suppose your right," Hunk replied.

Lance pulled out his cell phone and began to punch in some text and then pressed send. In a matter of minutes, Pidge and Rax exited the house.

"What's so important that you called us outside," Rax asked and then noticed Hunk by Lance.

"Hey Hunk, what's going on?"

"I'll let Lance explain why he called you two out," Hunk replied.

Lance leaned against Hunk's car. "I called you two out here because something's going on and we need to know about it. Hunk went to the hospital earlier this morning to pick up Adam."

Hunk cleared his throat. "Okay, so I thought I was going to give Adam a ride, but he told me he was drugged last night, but he also said he was fine, and he needed a ride to his car. But before we could get to his car, he said we needed to go to the Garrison. And it's a good thing we did because it took Adam and me to stop Shiro from killing Lotor."

Rax, Lance, and Pidge all yelled at the same time. "WHAT!"

Lance shook his head. "No, no, no. Shiro would never do that."

"I know, but that's not all," Hunk replied. He sucked in a breath of air and slowly released it. "You won't believe this, but Lotor is actually with the ATF."

"No, no, that can't be true!" Pidge cried in disbelief. "He tortured Keith!"

Rax placed his hands on her shoulders.

Lance's eyelids grew as he stared at Hunk. "I shot him in the ass."

Hunk chuckled, "That was a good shot too, but I hate to say this it's true. And there's more. Lotor said that he wasn't trying to hurt Keith, but the one who inflicted most of the damage to Keith was that big woman named Zethrid. But this one will shake you to your core. It seems Zarkon has been turning officials in different law enforcement agencies to look the other way when it comes to his operation. And he has someone at the Garrison in his pocket." Hunk glanced left then right then leaned forward as he lowered his voice. "That person is Chief Sanda."

Lance shook his head and stared at Hunk. "What the Quiznack?"

Pidge, Rax, and Hunk all stared at Lance as if he'd lost his mind.

"No, I haven't lost my mind. I'm just having a hard time trying to wrap my mind around the fact that Chief Sanda is dirty."

Hunk clapped a hand Lance's shoulder. "That is the understatement of the year, buddy. But I don't know what else they're planning because Captain Allura kicked both Shay and me out and had us watch the door and make sure the communications to the interrogation room was turned off. She talked with Lotor, Shiro, Matt, Krolia and a couple of other people we didn't know."

"Hey, guys," Luis called from the doorway. "This house isn't going to get finished anytime soon if you all are standing out there."

"We'll find out soon enough what's going on," Rax replied as he waved at Luis. "But he's right, you know."

"Coming," Lance yelled as he trotted toward the doorway with the others close on his heels.

 

Shiro sat in the chair where Kolivan usually sat by Keith's bedside. "Where's Kolivan?"

"He went home. He said there were some things he needed to take care of before he came back later."

"So, are you happy they're coming to get you out of this bed?"

Keith rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I am. I'm tired of laying here all the time. I need to get moving again and get back into the field."

Shiro noted the removal of the IV. "They're finally letting you eat something more than liquids?"

Keith frowned. "No, I'm still on fluids, and they still haven't stopped bringing me milk either. You'd think by now they'd get that I can't stand milk."

Shiro chuckled as he shook his head. He heard squeaky shoes approaching the door and turned his head as Doctor Whitehorse, a nurse, and another person stepped into the room.

"Mister Kogane," Doctor Whitehorse spoke as he held the chart in his hands. "I'm sure you recognize your day nurse Gail, and this is your therapist Erika. Don't try to do the work, but I want you to tell me everything your feeling, okay. This way I'll have a better idea on what we can do to get you out of here."

The woman, Erika, stepped up to the bedside and she lowered the rail. "Pivot yourself slow and easy this way and sit up to the best of your ability. I know you've had surgery, so the stitches will pull which is going to hurt."

Keith shook his head. "Understatement of the year." But he managed to get his legs over the side of the bed and sat up while holding his hand to the abdominals as he grits his teeth together.

Erika motioned for Gail to get on Keith's right side while she stood on his left. "Now both of us will help you to stand. Remember, let us do the work. You've had major surgery."

Keith nodded as he frowned. Both of the women supported him on each side as they got him to his feet. His muscles were both heavy while also jittery from disuse for laying in the bed for so long. His head seemed to spin or was that the room spinning. He couldn't tell.

Keith sucked in a breath. "Stop the room from spinning."

"Are you feeling dizzy?" Doctor Whitehorse asked.

"Yeah, like the room won't stop turning."

Shiro stood, not knowing what was going to happen next. He wasn't sure if he liked what they were doing with his brother.

Erika spoke again. "Okay Gail and I are going to move you away from the bed a few steps then well let go, and you can take another step forward on your own. Okay?"

Keith swallowed hard as he was moved about ten steps away from the bed. It was hard to focus on his muscles, causing his body to shake. He noticed their hands were removed from his arms. He took a tentative step forward when he stumbled and started to fall. The pressure took over again about his arms while an extra pair gripped him from behind under his arms and around his chest.

"It's okay, Keith, I've got you," Shiro said from behind him.

Keith let out a quick breath as a nervous chuckle escaped from him. "I should have known you'd have my back."

He heard Shiro chuckle in his ears from behind. "You're my brother. I'll always have your back."

Erika heard the conversation between the pair of men but couldn't exactly see the resemblance. She shrugged, knowing there were different forms of brotherhood. "Let's get him back to the bed."

Shiro released his hold on Keith but hovered in the area just in case as the two women helped him get back to his bed. Shiro caught Keith's eye as he eased back under the sheet, "I'll be back. I'm going to talk to your therapist and doctor."

Keith gave him a slight nod as Shiro, and the others stepped outside the room. Shiro lowered his voice as he spoke to Whitehorse and the therapist. "Give it to me straight. What's going on with my brother?"

Doctor Whitehorse frowned. "It appears he has an issue with his balance, but that doesn't mean that he won't walk again under his power."

Erika nodded as she stared at Shiro. "With hard work and exercise, he can regain his balance, but as Doctor Whitehorse said it would take lots of hard work to get him up and to walk again. I'll return later with a list of exercises, and you might want to look into getting him a therapy animal. Some dogs are specially trained to help people with balance issues, and like his brother, you need to be aware that there are Equine Therapy programs that also help people regain their balance. It's going to take a lot of time and patience."

Shiro nodded. "My team and I are committed to making sure Keith gets everything he needs to get back on his feet again."

Doctor Whitehorse wrote something down on the chart he carried. "It's good he has a great support system and people who do care."

Shiro noticed the sadness in Doctor Whitehorse's eyes. "I take it not everyone has that?"

Doctor Whitehorse gave a quick nod of his head but didn't talk about what caused his sadness. "I'll let you go back to sit with Mr. Kogane. I have rounds to make."

Erika looked down at her watch. "I have to run off too. My next therapy session is in fifteen minutes. But I'll return later with those exercises."

"Okay, and thanks for the information," Shiro replied as he stepped back into the room. He was grateful to see that Keith had fallen asleep after the exertion. He needed to figure out what he was going to say to ease Keith into this new situation that Keith and his team were all facing.

 

Griffin climbed out of his car and headed towards the garage where he could find Te-Osh working on one of her projects of restoring and rebuilding old motorcycles. "Hey Te-Osh," he called as he walked into the garage.

She looked up from the frame she was working on. "Hey James," she called out as she pushed a strand of her green hair out of her face. "What brings you out here?"

James frowned. "I wish this was just a friendly visit. But I need you to use your hacking skills."

"Whoa," Te-Osh replied as she waved her hands in front of her. "I don't do hacking jobs anymore. You know that."

James nodded. "I know, but this is official SWAT business."

She smirked toward him as she raised an eyebrow. "Would this get me a badge?"

James chuckled. "I don't know about the badge, but it could help us find out if there's a dirty cop at the Garrison."

"Ooh," Te-Osh replied. "This sounds like something straight out of James Bond."

"Kind of," James replied. "Will you do it?"

"What do you need?"

"I need you to bypass bank security and check out Chief Sanda's bank accounts for hinky transactions and see if she's got any secret bank accounts in any country like say Switzerland or even the Grand Cayman's and if you do trace them back to the source."

"This isn't going to affect my parole, is it?"

"I'll see that it doesn't. This comes straight from both my team leader and Shiro. They'll both back us up."

"I hope so. I don't want to wind up in jail again," she replied as she picked up a rag and wiped her greasy hands off on. "Let's go in the house. this shouldn't take long."

As Te-Osh lead the way, the gravel underfoot shifted with their footsteps. Te-Osh stepped up the few steps leading to the door and pushed it open into the small shotgun house. She stepped over the threshold with James following.

She walked back to her bedroom and returned with her laptop. She turned it on and then turned toward the refrigerator. "You want a beer?"

"I can't I'm on duty."

"That stinks," Te-Osh replied as she picked up the bottle opener and flipped the cap off the beer. She caught the lid and dropped it into the small garbage can sitting next to the table.

"Can't you afford to move to someplace bigger?" James asked.

Te-Osh smiled as her green eyes lit with amusement. "Why? I have everything I need right here."

James shrugged. "It just seems so cramped."

"This is better than living in a cell," she shuddered at the thought.

Her words brought back the memory of how they'd met. He'd been undercover working to bring down a car theft ring, and she was their hacker who looked for car hauler schedules on the high-end cars the ring targeted. Plus she used her knowledge to block frequencies so the drivers couldn't contact the police to report the robberies until after the thefts.

But once in he couldn't contact the Garrison. Only somehow the ring's leader figured one of the members was a cop. That's when Te-Osh decided to switch loyalties and chose him over the ringleader causing her to be injured and then SWAT stormed in busting up the ring.

Because of Te-Osh's actions in saving a cop, the court went light on her but said no more hacking and Te-Osh had followed that rule to the letter. James jumped when he heard a voice. "Earth to James."

James gazed at Te-Osh. "What?"

"I'm in," Te-Osh said as she hit some keys. "Your Chief Sanda's bank has security that's child's play." Her eyes glanced again at the screen as she entered some more keystrokes. "What's this?" she said as she leaned forward and then looked up at James. "She does have a secret account in Zurich. It looks like it gets weekly payments over her salary about 100k above her salary."

James frowned, "Can you trace that back to its source?"

"Easy," Te-Osh replied as she ran the backtrace. "This isn't good. This isn't good."

James jumped up out of his chair and rounded the table to stand behind her. "What's wrong?"

"It leads back to Zarkon, but someone is backtracking me."

"Shut it down." James frowned as he considered his options quickly. "I'm gonna call one of my former teammates. See if he knows of a safe place, but we've got to get out of here."

Te-Osh didn't wait for the shut down to finish when she slammed the top of the laptop closed. She grabbed it and tucked it under her arm. "We need to go. I don't think they managed to trace me back here, but I don't want to take chances."

James grabbed her free hand as he pulled her toward the door, and they both raced out with her, stopping long enough to lock the door. James tugged her on the arm as he fought to stay calm and not lose too much time.

He jumped into the driver's side of the car as Te-Osh climbed into the passenger side. He pressed a button on the dash of his vehicle, which linked his phone to the car. "Dial Rax," he said as he turned over the engine, backed out of the drive, and sped off.

Within moments he heard Rax's voice. "Hello?"

"Rax, it's James Griffin. Look I can't tell you what I was up to, but I need a safe place to stash Te-Osh for a while."

"Yeah, I know a place," Rax replied as he told James the address. "She can help out with the house."

"Thanks, Rax." James pressed the disconnect button. He turned to Te-Osh. "I hope you made a copy of those searches I asked you for."

"Yeah, I did. They're on the laptop," she replied as she patted the cover of the computer.

"Okay, keep it with you until I get the word to get it from you. I'll drop you off and head back to the Garrison."

Te-Osh nodded. "Okay, and Jame be careful."

"I will."


	21. Spiraling Down the Rabbit Hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They find something is wrong with Keith, and Shiro tells Adam what he's up to.

Griffin pulled back out onto the road as he pressed the button on his dashboard for his cell phone again. "Call Sergeant Shirogane," he said.

"Griffin," he heard Shiro's voice over the phone. "I wasn't sure you'd get back to me this fast. Hang on, let me step outside of Keith's room."

"Sure man," he heard boots striking the floor tiles.

"I'm back. Look I don't want to leave Keith for long, he's asleep right now," Shiro replied.

"How's he doing?"

"Better but look meet me here at the hospital. They'll be bringing the meal trays around soon, and we can meet up in the cafeteria."

"No problem. It'll take me about half an hour or so to get there depending on traffic."

"Sure, and Griffin thanks for doing this."

"No problem. See you soon." He slapped the button on the dash disconnecting the call. He sighed as he glanced up in his rearview mirror again for the umpteenth time looking for anyone who might be tailing him. Maybe he and Te-Osh got out before any of Zarkon's people had a chance to discover her location. But he wasn't one for taking that kind of luck. Te-Osh was a friend and one who deserved better things.

 

Lance held out his hand to the green-haired woman. "I'm Lance, nice to meet you. I'm guessing your Te-Osh?"

"Yeah," she replied as she took his outstretched hand.

"This is Pidge, Hunk, and Rax," Lance replied as he introduced each.

"I remember Rax from the night when those guys kidnapped me to get into that house after that last car." She looked around at the inside of the house. "So, what are you doing here?"

Pidge pushed her glasses up her nose. "We're restoring this house. It's going to be our new home."

Te-Osh smiled. "That's cool. I need to put this in a safe place," she indicated the laptop she held.

"I've finished with the hall closet. You can put it there," Rax said as he pointed to it.

"Cool, thanks."

"And I'm going to the hospital to see Keith and Pidge needs to go with me," Lance replied.

Pidge stared at Lance. "What? No, I can't. I don't want to see him with a tube in his head." She backed away as Lance took a step forward.

"You're going!" his voice lowered as he took a second step toward her.

"No," her head shook back and forth. "I-I can't."

"Pidge," Lance placed his hands on his hips. "He doesn't have the tube in his head anymore. I assure you of that. He's getting better. Besides this way you can question him as to what he's going to need without telling him or Shiro about the house."

"Your certain that the tube is gone?"

Lance nodded. "Yeah, I am."

She grabbed her chin as he thought about it. "I do need to find out what he needs." Her voice trailed off for a moment. "Okay, I'll go, but I need to stop at the gift shop and get him something."

"So do I," Lance replied as he grinned. "I think he'll like the new issue of Guns and Ammo."

"Is that all the two of you think about are Guns and Ammo?"

"No!" Lance replied as he sniffed as if he were insulted. "But it does help to keep up on the latest guns coming out so we can keep up on what the bad guys are using." He grabbed Pidge by the hand before she could chicken out. "Let's go."

 

Keith's eyelids blinked open as he tried to focus. He glanced up at the TV that hung on the wall on the other side of the room. It was on, but the volume was turned down low. His eyes shifted over toward the chair to find Shiro still there. His best friend and the person closest to him was speaking quietly to someone on the phone trying not to wake him.

"Okay, Adam. Only as long as your feeling better." He paused as he listened to the voice on the other end of the phone. "Be careful, and I love you, too." Shiro ended the conversation and then glanced over at Keith. "Hey, nice to see your awake. Adam is coming over to sit with you while I go down to the cafeteria."

Keith smirked at his brother. "Yeah, I heard." He frowned, though. "You know you don't have to sit here with me. I am a grown man."

"I know you are, but I—"

Keith held up a hand, stopping him. "I know you, Shiro. You still feel responsible for me being here. Look what happened," he sighed, "which I can't remember wasn't your fault. You need to stop putting the team's problems on your shoulders."

Shiro nodded as his head dropped. "I know. That's what both Colleen and Monica have told me, but I can't help it."

"Monica? Who's Monica?"

"Oh, that's right. Everything has been such a mess I haven't told you. She's the Equine Therapist that Colleen took me to see." His head raised as his eyes seemed to gleam with actual excitement. "Monica runs an Equine Therapy service where the horse picks the person. I was paired with a horse she thought would never open up to a person because he was abused. His name is Thunder, and he's beautiful."

"So you ride the horse for a while? Is that how it works?" Keith asked.

Shiro shook his head. "No, I work on the horse. Bathing him, brushing him, but he doesn't like his hooves touched. And he's still nervous around me."

"I'm sure you'll get his trust. Just be patient with him."

Shiro chuckled. "Look at who's calling the kettle black."

Keith rolled his eyes at him. "Yeah, I know, I know. I wasn't the best kid, and I always got into trouble. Until I met you."

Shiro smiled at him. "You were a troubled kid, but I did see that you could be great. You just needed a second chance that's all."

"I'm grateful to you," Keith replied as he leaned over and gripped Shiro's hand.

They both heard footsteps, not the squeaky ones announcing the arrival of a nurse. They both turned to see Adam in the doorway. "Hey guys," Adam said as he stepped into the room.

"You're looking better," Keith said.

"I'm feeling better. At least I don't feel like I was hit by a speeding semi anymore."

Shiro rose from the chair and put a hand around Adam's waist and pressed his other hand to the back of Adam's head while claiming Adam's lips with his own. As they separated, he said, "I've got to get to the cafeteria. Keith's lunch tray should be arriving soon."

"Hey Shiro," Keith called out as the other man headed for the door.

Shiro stopped and turned around to face him. "What's up?"

Keith looked between Shiro and Adam. "You've never been exactly this touchy-feely in public. What gives?"

"I realized last night. I could have lost Adam or even you without either of you knowing how much I love both of you. I won't make that mistake again."

Keith couldn't stop the grin that began to form on his lips. "Copy that."

Shiro shot him a two-fingered saluted from his forehead as he turned away and strode out of the room.

 

Shiro entered the cafeteria to find James sitting at a table nursing a cup of coffee. He walked over to the table. "I'll be right back. I need to get some coffee."

"Okay."

Shiro glanced one more time at Griffin. The younger man seemed to be preoccupied. Whatever was on his mind, Shiro needed his verbal report to plan what needed to be done next. But there was one thing he needed to do inform Adam.

He walked over and joined the line as medical staff, and other visitors went through getting food or whatever drinks they needed. He stepped up to the large coffee pot and picked up a cup, pouring out a cup for himself. He set the coffee pot back down and moved up to the cashier where he paid for the coffee.

He made his way back through the tables, doing his best to ignore some of the conversations going on around him, which created a buzz in the room. He pulled out a chair and sat down across from Griffin. He waited for the younger man to start talking. He didn't have to wait long.

Griffin brushed at his bangs pushing the hair away from his right eye then leaned forward. "You were right. Sanda is dirty."

Shiro drummed his fingers of his left hand on the table while he picked up the cup in his right hand and took a sip. Sitting the cup back down on the table, he leaned forward and stared into the younger man's face. "How bad is it?"

"Sanda has an account in Zurich. There's evidence of regular deposits of 100k each above her salary, and Te-Osh did trace it back to Zarkon. Now answer me a question. Why use Te-Osh?"

"Because Sniv is nosing around SWAT headquarters and you know he reports straight to Sanda."

Griffin nodded as he got the gist. "So not to alert Sanda as to what we now know we used Te-Osh to do it." A slight smirk pulled at his lips. "Te-Osh was right when she felt like we were doing James Bond work."

The corner's of Shiro's mouth turned up in a grin but was replaced by a more serious expression as his eyes focused on Griffin again. "Make sure you're not followed and is Te-Osh safe?"

"Yeah, I stashed her in a safe house. One that Sanda doesn't know about. That's another thing. While she was tracing the information to Zarkon someone was tracing back toward her. But we shut it down before they could get our exact location."

"Good. Keep her and that information safe, and I'll get back to you about this. And don't let Sniv get any idea that you know anything."

Griffin nodded. "Don't worry. I can keep a low profile."

Shiro took another sip of his coffee. "I've got to get back up there to Keith's room. Want to come along?"

"I'd better get back to headquarters but tell Keith to get back soon."

"I'll give him the message," Shiro replied as he rose with the cup still in hand heading back for Keith's room.

 

Keith glanced over at Adam, but the squeaky wheel announced the arrival of the cart that carried his meal tray. He turned his eyes toward the door as the woman appeared with the meal tray. She smiled his way and quietly pulled the bedside table over to cover his lap. She set the tray down as she picked up his breakfast tray. She frowned at the untouched milk carton but didn't say a word and quietly exited the room.

"They're still giving you liquids?" Adam asked.

Keith nodded, "Yeah, but thankfully they got rid of the IV. Doctor Whitehorse says there's still a little bit of blood but if it disappears I could go home by the end of this week." He removed the lid from the cup of tea and took a sip. "I think I'm getting used to this." He chuckled slightly. "Tea without sugar isn't bad."

Adam couldn't stop the shudder that ran through him. "I can't see how you drink it without sugar."

Keith shrugged as he removed the lid from his cup of broth. "It's not as bad as your making it out to be."

He sipped at his broth as a beaming Lance entered the room with Pidge following him. She held the large vase of Peonies she'd bought down in the gift shop in front of her face. Inwardly she wanted to believe Lance about the tube, but she didn't trust him either. He was known for playing pranks.

She moved over to the window and set the vase down and hesitantly turned around as Lance stepped up to Keith's side. "Looks like we arrived during your lunch. Your looking better."

"It was a little late, but that's fine." Keith smiled up at Lance as he finished off the broth and prepared to eat the Jello, grabbing the metal spoon from off the provided napkin.

"I brought you something," Lance said as pulled the magazine he was hanging behind his back. He thrust it out to Keith. "It's the latest issue."

"Thanks," Keith replied as he reached out and grabbed it but noticed the condition of Lance's hand. "What happened to you? It looks like you lost a fight with a two by four," he said as he saw the scratches and a couple of splinters embedded in the skin.

"It's nothing I've been helping Luis out."

Pidge finally took a good look at Keith. "You are looking better than when we first found you."

Keith frowned, "I wish I could remember, but it's a total blank."

"Don't worry about it. Things like that happen all the time," Pidge replied. "Any idea when you might be getting to go home?"

Keith pushed a spoonful of the Orange Jello into his mouth. He swallowed and gazed at the smallest team member. "Doctor Whitehorse is thinking maybe the end of this week or next week at the latest."

"Anything we should know about?" she asked as she avoided the subject of the house.

Keith wanted to answer no that he was fine, but he knew in a case like this, he should tell the truth. "Uhm… It seems my balance is off. I can't stand up without getting dizzy and when they tried to get me to take a step if the therapist, the nurse, and Shiro hadn't caught me I would have faceplanted the floor."

"Ouch," Pidge replied.

Lance put his hand on Keith's shoulder. "You know we'll never let you go through this alone."

"I know," Keith sighed as he leaned back on the bed. He balled up his hand into a fist and slammed it down on what consisted of a mattress. "It's just so damn frustrating."

"Don't worry," Shiro replied as he walked into the room. "We're a team."

"I know," Keith replied again as he sighed and leaned his head back on his pillow. "I just feel so damn useless."

Pidge glared at him. "Stop talking that way. If you don't, I'll use you as my tackling dummy."

"I'd listen to her if I were you," Shiro replied as he chuckled. As he took a sip of the last of his coffee, his eyes gazed at Keith and slid over to Lance as he fought to keep his face in a neutral expression.

Adam gazed at Shiro's face and watched where his eyes moved. He'd have to nip this in the bud. He knew that as a matchmaker Shiro wasn't one. A good tactician, yes, but relationships. No.

Shiro tossed the paper cup away in the garbage can and sat down on the edge of the armrest of the chair that Adam sat in. He opened his mouth to say something when he heard a light thump, and he grimaced as he rubbed the back of his head and gazed down at Adam. "What was that for?"

"Let them figure it out on their own," Adam hissed to Shiro.

Shiro leaned over and whispered, "I'm going to make you pay for that love, tap."

A slight smile pulled at Adam's lips as he replied in a whisper, "Promise?"

Shiro shook his head as he smiled back at Adam, "Maybe."

Keith's attention was drawn to the pair. Though Lance and Pidge didn't hear the conversation, he did. He sighed as he stared at the couple. "Get a room, you two."

Lance's eyes grew as big as saucers as he stared at the pair. He slapped a hand over his eyes. "Guys! We're here to see Keith!"

Kolivan strode into the room, and Keith shot the older man a grin, but that soon fell as he saw the person who was behind him. His eyes narrowed, "Get her out of here!"

Kolivan held out his hands to his grandson, "But she's your mother!"

Krolia took a step forward, "Keith, it's me," she practically begged him to see her.

Lance and Pidge both stood stunned as they stared at the woman.

"NO!" he screamed. "You can stay, but she has to leave."

She took another tentative step forward. "Please Keith."

He shook his head and reached for the first thing available. Catching sight of the empty broth cup. His fingers wrapped around it as he hefted it and threw it in her direction. "You're not my mother! You only look like her! My mother isn't here! My mother would never have left me alone! My mother would have stayed with me!" He grimaced as a stabbing pain grew in his head. He clamped his jaws closed as he gripped at his head.

"I should go," she told Kolivan as she spun around and raced out of the room.

Shiro jumped up from the chair arm. "Keith!" He reached down and grabbed the call button for a nurse and pressed the button.

Pidge bumped Lance out of the way with her hip. She shot the older man a glare as he shouted, "Hey!"

"Keith needs us," Pidge replied as she placed a hand on the shoulder and rubbed in a small circle. Though slightly terrified at his display she pushed back at her emotions and focused entirely on her teammate. "I don't know what happened," she directed her comment to Keith. "But we're here."

Keith blew out a gust of air, "It hurts."

"I know," she replied quietly. She had a little idea about what was happening, but she'd have to talk to her mom to find out for sure.

Kolivan quietly moved up beside her. "Do you know what's going on with him?"

"I think I do. But to be sure I have to talk to my mom."

"Who's your mom?" Kolivan asked.

"Colleen Holt."

Keith shot a glance at Kolivan and Pidge. "You know I'm right here."

"I know that, and I want you to know that I will be talking to my mom. You need to get better. We need you back. Rax is good and all, but he's not you," Pidge replied.

Shiro glanced down at his best friend and brother. "She's right."

Keith's attention was caught by the entry of his day nurse. What was her name, he tried to remember. Gail or did she spell it Gayl. "Mr. Kogane," she said as she smiled at him. "Are you not feeling well today?"

"My head hurts."

"Don't worry. I've got something to fix you right up." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a syringe and pushed up the sleeve of the hospital gown. Laying the needle down, she pulled out an alcohol swab and ripped the package open. She wiped his arm with it. Then pulled the cap off the syringe and inserted the needle quickly into the arm. "This will take a few moments to work, but you might sleep."

Keith sighed and nodded. "That's all I seem to do is sleep."

Gail smiled at him. "That's good. Your body is still healing from the trauma and surgeries."

Shiro turned to Adam. "I've been delaying this conversation, but I need to tell you something." He motioned with his head toward the doorway.

Adam frowned as his brows knitted together. He rose from the chair and followed his husband out of the room.

Shiro turned to face Adam. "You're going to be upset with me. You need a heads up. You remember Griffin?"

"Sure, the guy who went to Curtis' new team. What about him?"

Shiro glanced away for a moment before locking his eyes back on Adams. "He has a friend who's a hacker on the same par as Pidge. Because of Sniv sneaking around headquarters, I couldn't go through regular channels to get the information. But she did and confirmed our worst fears. Chief Sanda is dirty. She gets payments regularly in a Swiss bank account. They come from Zarkon."

Adam couldn't stop the gasp that was ripped out of his body. He turned away as he removed the glasses from his face with one hand while gripping the bridge of his nose with the other. Why? Why was Takashi doing this? Adam thought but released his hold on his face and shook his head. He knew why. Adam replaced his glasses to his face as he turned back to face his husband. "Takashi, you're playing a dangerous game and coming close to crossing the line here."

"I know, but I haven't crossed that line."

Adam's blood rushed through his veins as his heart hammered in his chest as if he'd ran a marathon. He pointedly stuck his index finger into his husband's chest. "Make sure you don't and don't get yourself killed either."

Shiro's eyes glittered with unshed tears. He didn't care who saw them. He reached out and grabbed Adam's raised arm and pulled his spouse to his chest and wrapped his arms about him. "I promise, and I'll get you the evidence so we can take her down." He felt Adam nod against his head. He turned and pressed a kiss to the other man's cheek.

As they separated, Adam raised his glasses slightly and using his other hand wiped at his eyes. He lowered the glasses again. "When you get the evidence I'll have Judge Parker on speed dial to sign the arrest warrant."


	22. Nicey Strikes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicey finally comes out of the shadows and Shiro is feeling the stress.

As Shiro and Adam turned to return to Keith's room, Shiro stopped as his cell phone buzzed alerting him to a text. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced down at it. "We've got a situation."

Adam had to jump out of the way as Lance and Pidge raced out. Lance's phone was in his hands as his thumbs flew over the keyboard as he sent a reply. "Rax and Hunk are coming in the Black Lion. They have our gear."

"Good," Shiro replied. "What do we have?" he asked as the trio raced down the hall for the stairwell.

"Hostage situation from a domestic."

Shiro frowned. He hated domestic disturbances that resulted in hostage situations. "Roger that," he replied as he pushed the door open and they raced down the stairs.

 

The Black Lion pulled up in front of the address, and as they neared the door, they heard a man shouting from inside. "Where are the kids? Were they-Were they out with their new daddy?"

They heard the woman crying as the man shouted again. "Don't lie to me again. Don't make me do to you what I did to your parents!"

The woman in tears replied, shouting back in return. "I'm not hiding anything. I don't know where they are!"

Rax using a bar like device popped the door open without a sound. Pidge ran up the steps entering the house with Hunk, Shiro, and Lance following.

Pidge's eyes took in the situation from the kitchen and looked for a clear shot as the man's demands began to rise in volume, and he raised the gun he held toward his ex-wife's head.

Pidge yelled, "Get down!"

The ex-husband jerked his head up as he began to turn. The woman pushed herself away as Pidge fired, and the ex-husband landed on the floor.

Lance, Shiro, and Hunk stood over him as the ex-wife screamed. Hunk motioned at the man on the floor with his weapon. "On your stomach!"

Lance put his knee into the small of the man's back as he shouted, "Give me your hands." Clicking reached their ears as the cuffs were slapped onto his wrists.

Shiro took his mic from off his shoulder and pressed down on the button. "Twenty David to command. Code four. Suspect in custody. Hostage is safe."

Pidge moved over to the woman who was still sobbing and shaking. "It's okay. You're safe."

The woman pressed her hand to her heart. "I thought you shot him."

Pidge placed her hand on the woman's shoulder. "It's just bean bag rounds. He'll live."

The woman couldn't stop her tears. "You should have used real bullets."

Pidge whispered, "Hey, it's okay," as she gave the woman a quick hug. She put a hand on the woman's shoulder, "It's okay. Come on, let's go." Pidge walked her outside and left the woman with a grief counselor.

 

Shiro, along with the others, returned to headquarters when his phone buzzed again. He pulled it out of his pocket. "I wanted to return to the hospital," he said as the others began to gather around him. "We've got another situation. Allura says she'll send us details. Let's roll."

As the Black Lion sped through the streets with lights flashing and siren blaring Shiro spoke. "Waiting for confirmation, but initial reports make it sound like a workplace shooting. Security managed to put the building on lockdown and evacuate most of the employees. But not before the subject holed up in reception with six hostages."

Lance checked his phone as a series of texts appeared. "Just got a report from the officer on the scene. It wasn't a workplace shooting, but an abduction. Two masked suspects one got away with a woman."

"A kidnapping?" Shiro asked.

Hunk turned slightly in the passenger seat next to Rax and held up his tablet while he craned his head around toward the others in the back. "There's been three other abductions in the last half an hour by masked assailants."

Pidge gazed around at the others. "Four simultaneous kidnappings in four separate areas of town?"

Lance added, "No way, that's a coincidence."

With lights still flashing Rax parked the Black Lion in front of the building. They piled out of the vehicle.

Lance, Rax, Pidge, and Hunk got into position for a quick breach while Shiro stood by the bearcat with his phone in hand.

The others heard the phone ringing from inside the reception area.

Shiro heard a voice from the other end of the line say, "Hello."

"My name is Sergeant Shirogane from Garrison PD SWAT. I want to talk to you."

"Okay."

"Let's start with your name."

"It's Gavin."

Shiro thanked the stars that Allura had made all SWAT team leaders go through hostage negotiator training. "All right, Gavin, you have full control over how this ends. If you let those people go and surrender, no one gets hurt, including you."

"I can't," Gavin replied. "I can't do that. I can't let her down."

"Let who down, Gavin? Is there someone I can call? Let me help you, man?"

Gavin spoke again, "It's not what she would want."

Shiro's mind raced with scenarios he didn't like. All of them ending with Gavin and hostages dead. "Who wouldn't want that, Gavin?" He heard a deep breath from the other end of the phone followed by a thunk as if the receiver was dropped. "Gavin. Gavin, are you still with me?"

Shiro held the phone tightly as a shot rang out, and people began screaming from inside. Instinctively he dipped down behind the fender of the Black Lion, but he stood back up and quickly stuffed his phone in his pocket. He ran over to the others and issued orders. "Gunfire. Emergency entrance. Pidge cover us. Rax, you're with me."

The door opened, and the hostages ran out screaming. Shiro and Rax entered spotting the body behind the desk. Shiro grabbed his mic. "Twenty David to command. The suspect is down."

Lance's voice came over the radio. "Shiro, you need to see this."

As Shiro and Rax approached, Lance had the outer compartment opened which held a computer screen and keyboard that turned the Black Lion into a mobile command center. Lance glanced over at Shiro and Rax then pressed a button on the side of the computer screen before taking a step back. "Just got this from the Captain. It was just released online."

A figure stood wearing baggy clothes and wearing an oversized army jacket while a black ski mask hid the person's identity. A computerized voice masked the voice. "This morning, we took five employees from the largest corporations around Platte City. For too long, these companies have avoided paying their fair share hiding billions in overseas bank accounts and evading taxes, while ordinary citizens struggle to make ends meet and communities starve.

"Well, no longer. To these five companies, we've calculated your tax burden to be 523 million dollars. You'll each receive an individual bill. Your options are as follows. Send us the money. Your employees will be set free, and the funds will be distributed to charities around the country. Or don't, and your employees will pay for your sins with their lives. Your tax bill is due… today. You each have twelve hours to show the world how you care about your workers. Starting… now." The screen went black.

Hunk glanced around at the faces of the others. "This isn't good."

Shiro frowned. "Your right, it isn't good." He pulled out his phone and typed a quick text sending it off to Adam. Sliding the phone back into his pocket, he glanced around at his team. "Close it up and let's head back to headquarters. We need to see if Marco's found us a lead."

 

Shiro with Rax and Lance in tow entered the Lion's Den. "Any leads?"

Commander Iverson and Captain Allura stood in front of the giant computer screen. Iverson pointed at the faces of five people on the screen. "The companies have confirmed these as the employees that were taken, hostage."

Allura nodded as she folded her arms over her chest. "All hourly workers. Janitor, IT, retail."

Rax rubbed at his chin for a minute. "So what, they kidnap Jane Lunch Lady and force companies to choose between profits ad blue-collar workers?"

Iverson nodded. "Yeah, looks like it."

Lance placed his hands on his hips. "What better way to highlight class inequality."

Iverson gazed at the three SWAT team members. "In their written instructions, they want 540 million wired to an anonymous BIT coin account to be distributed to various charities. They're keeping 17 million as a service fee."

Shiro let out a humorless snort. "Oh, how charitable."

Iverson ignored Shiro's comment. "Patrol is rounding up hostages families. They're bringing them to SWAT for protection. Ask them if they've seen anything suspicious."

Allura nodded. "Meanwhile, digital forensics is studying the video for any clues to their hideout."

Lance crossed his arms over his chest. "What about the companies? Have you heard from them?"

Iverson nodded. "The mayor is meeting with the five CEOs. I'm heading over there to supervise. Captain Allura has command." He backed up a step before turning and fast walking toward the exit.

Hunk entered the Lion's Den. "We got a hit on Gavin's fingerprints. His real name is David Reese, twenty-nine. Doctor David Reese Postdoc out of the University of Phoenix. He wrote a thesis entitled, "Efficacy of Radical Groups." Quit his teaching gig a year back. Marco is searching for his last known address."

Allura nodded. "Be ready to roll as soon as he gets it."

She turned to walk away when Shiro stepped up to her. "Captain, has Krolia returned?"

Allura looked up at the ceiling for a quick minute before focusing her eyes back on Shiro. "She did, but she took Acxa to a secure location."

Shiro nodded, then fidgeted slightly. "I'm sorry I reacted the way I did the other day."

Allura reached out and placed her fingers lightly on his arm. "Shiro, you don't need to apologize. I understand. I do," she said as a slight smile tugged at her lips. "Know that if you need to talk, my door is always open."

"Thank you," he replied.

 

Lance stood in one of the furnished rooms they sometimes use to get some rest while working a difficult case. He gazed down at the young woman who sat on the couch. "Shana, did your mother mention anything strange in the last two weeks? Anyone following her? Or a strange encounter?"

Shana shook her head as she rubbed a hand over her face. "No. Nothing. She's just a receptionist. She makes… little charms in her spare time. She barely makes any money. What do they want with her?"

"We're trying to find that out."

Shana gazed down at her wrist and rubbed her thumb of her free hand over a charm that hung off her bracelet.

Lance sat down on the couch arm beside her. "Is that one of your mother's charms."

Shana nodded as she inhaled deeply. She raised her head as she wiped at the tears running down her face. "Last week I blew her off to hang out with a girlfriend. Now, I'd give anything to see her again, to tell her I love her."

Lance's words he picked carefully to give the young woman some comfort. "Hey, I'm sure she knows that. I know you're worried about her, but we have cops all over the city looking for her. So, if I hear anything, I'll let you know."

A quick knocking was heard on the door. Rax stepped in, "Marco found the address, and we have a search warrant. We've got to roll."

Lance stood up and turned back to Shana. "See? That's good news," he explained. "That's one of the people involved in taking your mom. So, you sit tight."

"Promise me, you'll bring her back. Please."

"We'll do everything we can."

 

Rax using the battering ram smashed the door in as the rest of the team rushed in.

Shiro yelled, "Give me two!"

Pidge replied, "Two!"

As the team raced through the entire floor of the loft. It was full of hand-painted signs, and other signs that things were made there.

Lance yelled, "Right side clear!"

Hunk yelled, "Left side clear!"

Shiro looked around. "Code four all the way around."

Rax glanced around. "Leaning into that whole radical minimalist aesthetic."

Hunk opened up cabinets around the sink area. "No dishes, no pots, not even a cup. He wasn't living here."

Shiro voiced the thought that raced through his mind. "Then what the hell was he doing?"

Pidge yelled from a side room. "Shiro! Shiro! C4."

As Shiro stepped over to her and glanced down with the table full of bomb-making material Pidge said, "A lot of C4. It looks like the good doctor was a bomb maker. It looks like he was putting his computer to use with cell phone triggers."

Shiro raised his voice. "All right, Hunk, you're with Pidge. Call the bomb squad, stay here, and coordinate with them. Meanwhile, let's clear the rest of the block. Move."

As Shiro, Rax, and Lance walked out, they passed a sign that read, 'Down with Capitalism.'

 

The Mayor stepped out of her office as Commander Iverson approached. "Why is it that every time I see you, it's the worst day of my career?" she said as she gazed up into his face.

Iverson let out a half-laugh. "Well, correlation not causation. I can assure you that Mayor Ghans." He turned to gaze into her office. "What's the temperature in there?"

"It sucks."

Iverson sighed. "My kind of party."

As the five CEOs stood in a circle arguing amongst themselves Mayor Ghans walked over to them with Iverson beside her. "Excuse me," she said as she raised a hand to indicate Iverson. "This is Commander Iverson from Garrison PD SWAT. Now if we could move into the boardroom—"

A man with a receding hairline stepped forward. "Chester Keenan. Have you found these terrorists yet?"

Iverson replied, "We're currently following up on several leads."

Chester folded his arms over his chest. "Great." He glanced at the other CEO's. "That's a no."

Iverson turned his gaze at the others in the room. "Look, I can appreciate that this is a tough time for you and your companies, but right now the best course of action is to hold off. Let SWAT do their jobs."

Chester frowned. "You want us to bend over for these terrorists?"

Iverson shook his head. "No, that's not what I said. Just lay low. You know no statements, no tweets, nothing. If we find your employees before the deadline, then you won't have to decide at all about the ransoms."

Another man spoke up. "And what if you don't find them before the deadline?"

A slight smile pulled at one corner of Iverson's mouth. "I have faith in my officers. Let's see what they can do before you panic."

Chester leaned forward. "With all due respect, Commander, my very well-paid specialist, is telling me that I need to issue a statement ASAP."

Iverson placed his hands on his hips. "With all due respect," he resisted the urge to punch this guy. "Neither you nor your specialist has ever dealt with a group like this. SWAT has."

"I've never trusted the public sector, and I'm not about to start now," Chester glared at Iverson.

Iverson got a vibe off this guy he didn't like. No matter what he said, this man fought him every inch of the way. He wanted to toss him in a cell and throw away the key. "What are you going to do?" He deliberately took a step in Chester's path.

"I've got calls to make. Shareholders to report to," Chester replied. "Excuse me."

Iverson took a step back. He still wanted to punch him or throw him into a cell.

 

Pidge was scouring over a computer touch screen when Rax entered her lab. "The Captain said you could use some help."

Pidge glanced up at him. "David Reese had an active Twitter feed. Marco asked for help in pulling out and marking anyone who sticks out."

Allura strode in. Her face was unreadable. "We may have a bigger problem." She pressed a button at the bottom of the computer.

A man stood at a podium facing cameras giving a live press conference. It was Chester Keenan. "Grygan is a valued member of our community. His wife wants her husband back. His children want their father back. And to these terrorists, these cowards going after people who can't defend themselves well, you listen to me." He pointed at the camera. "You harm this man, and I will use all the resources at my disposal to hunt you down. And if you got an issue with that, you can come to my office and take it up with me face-to-face. Thank you."

Allura looked up at Pidge and Rax. "I can't imagine that going over well with our radical friends."

 

Shiro was in the weapons area going over his gear, making sure everything was in top condition. His phone lay near him on the table. "Adam, it looks like we're going to be here all night. How's Keith doing?"

Adam's voice came over the phone. "He's doing good. His therapist took him for a therapy session. It must have worn him out. He's sleeping again."

"Good he needs all the rest he can get."

"I know. I've been watching this story on the news, is it as bad as they say?"

Shiro picked up a clip of ammo, making sure it was fully loaded. "Yeah, it's bad."

"I hate to bring this up right now. But, I was wondering how you felt about children?"

"I would love to have a child, but I don't think this is the right time to be talking about that."

"Yeah, I know. We'll talk about it later since the city comes first," Adam replied.

Shiro closed his eyes. He knew Adam wasn't mad about what was going on. He opened his eyes as he picked up his phone. "Adam, I love you."

"I love you, too. Now go catch those terrorists."

A small smile tugged at his lips as he replied, "Roger that."

Lance stuck his head into the room. "Shiro, we've got a bad situation developing. A call came in from Keenan Industries. One of the hostages was released, but he's got a bomb strapped to him."

"Get the team," Shiro replied. "Let's roll."

 

The Black Lion pulled up in front of Keenan Industries. Rax had to blast the siren several times to get people to get out of the way as news crews were busy reporting on the scene. Chaos met the teams' eyes as patrol officers were trying to move the crowd back to a safe distance.

As they hopped out of the back of the bearcat, Shiro issued orders. "Rax, Hunk, help Patrol set up a perimeter. Lance, Pidge, with me."

Allura's voice came over the bud in Shiro's ear. "Shiro, security took Keenan out a back entrance."

Shiro held his mic in his hand as he spoke quickly. "We know they're using cell phone triggers, those towers down yet?"

"We just got confirmation. Every tower in a half-mile radius is down."

"ETA on the bomb squad?"

Allura replied, "It's going to be at least fifteen minutes."

"Captain that's cutting it too close. We're going in. Lance, Pidge." They entered rushed into the building.

Gyrgan paced not looking at the door behind him.

Shiro gazed at him as he spoke. "Gyrgan, Gyrgan, stay still."

Gyrgan turned to face them.

The trio approached him as Shiro spoke again. "We're Garrison PD SWAT. We're here to help."

Gyrgan held up his hands. "Just get away from me and save yourselves."

Shiro held up his hands as he approached. "We're gonna get this thing off of you, but we're going to do everything nice and easy. Do you understand?"

 

Rax and Hunk were yelling at reporters and others as they were forcing them to move. "Move it back! Come on, let's go!"

Rax saw a man messing with a cell phone. Rax glanced over at Hunk, never losing sight of the man. "Hey, is it me, or does that dude seem way too interested in making a phone call?"

"You're thinking cell phone trigger?"

The guy looked up and saw them. He turned and ran like a jackrabbit from a hungry wolf.

Rax shouted, "Hey!" He and Hunk took off running after him. Rax grabbed his shoulder mic, "Foot pursuit of a suspect in a green Army jacket."

 

Pidge and Lance eased the coat from off Gyrgan. Shiro gazed at all the explosives and wires attached to the vest.

"Looks like we should cut through the straps on the sides, then we can lift it from over his head."

"Good idea, Pidge," Shiro replied as he pulled out his military-style knife.

 

Hunk and Rax entered a side entrance into Keenan Industries. Rax motioned up at some stairs. "Take the stairs. I'll get the other end."

 

Pidge cut through the strap nearest her on Gyrgan's side. Shiro cut through the other side. A series of beeps sounded. He asked, "What was that?"

Lance glanced at them. "There must have been a tripwire in the strap." The bomb began beeping.

Grygan tried his best to stay still as sweat rolled down his face. "Wait, wait, did you hear that?"

Shiro straightened up and stared into Gyrgan's eyes. "Yeah."

Pidge took a breath and blew it out. "We've triggered a fail-safe, we've got to get this off him, now."

"Come on. Please!" Gyrgan cried out as a tremor flowed through his body.

Shiro knew the man was scared. He heard it in his voice. "Gyrgan, Gyrgan. Look at me. You're going to be fine."

 

Rax and Hunk returned at the foot of the stairs. "I've got nothing," Rax said.

"Me neither."

 

Shiro looked over at Lance. "Your taller, trade places with Pidge. We're going to lift this over his head."

Lance did as asked. He stuck his fingers up under the backside of the vest as Shiro gripped the front.

"Okay, Lance. On three," Shiro said, his voice calm. "One… two… three…."

They lifted the vest, and Shiro released his hold on the front part as he yelled, "Okay Gyrgan, move, move, move!"

Lance took the vest, turned, and sat it down quickly on the floor. He sprinted off, breaking into a full run as fast as he could behind Gyrgan, Pidge, and Shiro. They raced out the door when a couple of huge explosions boomed out from behind them, throwing them all to the ground as the glass was blown outward.

The building rocked as Rax and Hunk felt it under their feet. Rax yelled, "Go!" He and Hunk both ran out as fast as they could go.

Shiro groaned as he began to move from off the concrete.

Rax yelled, "Shiro!" He and Hunk had turned the corner to see the rest of the team on the ground.

Shiro, Pidge, and Lance slowly rose to their feet, and Hunk helped Gyrgan up and handed him off to a patrol officer.

Rax stared at the others. "Geez, am I glad to see you guys."

Shiro shook his head, then got straight to business. "Where's the suspect?"

"He got away."

Shiro let his emotions take control. "He got away?"

Rax gazed at Shiro. "Yeah, we lost him in the crowd. We heard the explosions, so we rushed back."

Shiro sighed. "Your job isn't to worry about me, Rax, it's to get the suspect."

Rax up a hand as he explained. "Yeah, we lost sight of him. I didn't know if there were any civilian casualties, so I made the call—"

Shiro removed his chinstrap from his helmet and pulled the helmet off. "Well, you made the wrong call, man."

Lance gazed at Shiro. "We rescued a hostage. I call that a win."

Shiro rubbed at his forehead. "We have four hostages still missing, and we are nowhere close to finding out who took them. That is not a win. We've got to do better than this. Otherwise, we are doing nothing but wasting our damn time and putting lives at risk." He turned and stalked off.

Pidge stared down at the ground as Hunk gazed at the rest of the team. "Don't take it personally, guys. He's under a lot of pressure."

Lance let out a sigh as he stared after Shiro's retreating form. "Let's go guys."

 

Adam's eyes stayed fixed on the TV screen. He turned up the volume as the female reporter gave another update on the situation. "We have confirmed the identity of one of the hostages as Gyrgan. He's demanding to speak to Chester Keenan."

Keith stirred in the bed next to him. "A-Adam, what's going on?"

Adam knew Shiro would be disappointed in him if he held back the truth. "Some terrorist group took five people hostage earlier today. They're now demanding that these five companies who they work for pay over five hundred million dollars. Shiro's team is working on the case.

"We talked earlier, and he thinks it's going to be all-nighter considering they've given these companies a deadline of twelve hours to pay."

Keith balled up a hand into a fist. "I should be with them. Not laying around here."

Kolivan spoke up from the opposite side of the bed. "And what can you do? You're in no condition, and you know this."

Keith grit his teeth. He knew his grandfather was right, but it still didn't sit well with him. His team was out there in harm's way somewhere. He saw the Bearcat pull up with a Black Lion symbol on the hood. Keith tried to relax, but he couldn't.

The team jumped out of the Bearcat, and he watched while he knew they were formulating a plan. He watched as Rax and Hunk split away from the group and Shiro, Pidge, and Lance go into the building.

A lump formed in Adam's throat as his mouth went dry. He found it hard to swallow as minutes ticked by without any word of what was happening inside the building other than a reporter's voice giving her impressions of the scene.

Keith reached out and gripped Adam's hand in his. "It's going to be okay."

Adam nodded, "I know, but I can't stop myself from worrying."

Keith released Adam's hand when he saw first Gyrgan run out followed by Shiro, Pidge, then Lance. The blood pressure cuff on his arm squeezed as the machine automatically took his blood pressure and then blared at the same time as the fireball was seen from within the building from the large plate glass windows, and glass exploded outward as his team was thrown to the ground.

Adam exploded out of his chair at the same instant. "Takashi!" he shouted at the screen. He couldn't take his eyes away but finally saw some movement from Shiro and the others as they started to move. He realized that he'd stopped breathing and released the breath he held before dropping back into the chair.

Gail rushed into the room. "Mr. Kogane, you need to calm down. Your blood pressure is too high."

Keith raised a hand pointing at the TV.

Gail nodded as she pulled out a syringe and swabbed down his arm with an alcohol pad and inserted the needle into his arm, giving him a dose of the sedative.

Kolivan grabbed Keith's upraised arm and gripped his hand. "Look, Keith, your team is fine. See they're moving."

Gail glanced up at the screen. "He's a SWAT member?"

"Yeah," Adam replied. "And his team is up there."

Her mouth formed a silent 'O' before she turned to Adam. "He'll sleep for a while. We have to keep his blood pressure down due to the blood vessel that burst. I understand the reason to keep up to date on what's going on," she replied as she motioned toward the TV. "But it would be better if you turned it off."

Kolivan shook his head. "It's not. You see, Keith's brother is the team leader."

"I'll contact his therapist and see if she can suggest anything that might help regulate his blood pressure," she said as she rushed out of the room.

 

Another message was posted online by the terrorists going out to the media outlets besides the companies where the other hostages were taken. The same masked person stood in front of a camera with the four hostages blindfolded and duct-taped to the chairs they sat in. "I hope you appreciated the first act. But don't worry, though. The shows not over. To those of you, like Mr. Keenan, who thinks this is a game, I assure you the stakes are very, very real. Your time just got cut in half. You all now have four hours to pay your debt to society, or your employees die."

Iverson turned toward Lance and Pidge. "Well, after they saw what happened to Keenan's building, the other CEO's agreed to hold off on issuing any statements. Meanwhile, the hospital cleared Gyrgan for an interview. You two see if he can tell us anything will help."

Pidge replied for both herself and Lance, "On it." They both turned and walked out of the Lion's Den.

 

Shiro knocked on the door, turned the knob, and stepped into Allura's office. "You wanted to see me?"

"Close the door," she said as she set down the papers she was holding on the top of her desk.

Shiro shut the door and strode forward stopping about a foot away from her desk.

Allura gazed at him. "I was on the radio when you lit into your team. A little rough, don't you think?" she asked as she sat down in the chair behind her desk and gazed up at him.

Shiro held his hands close to his sides as he gazed back at her. "I don't want to see these guys get away and someone loses their life."

"No one does. But Rax and Hunk were in an impossible situation. They couldn't chase a guy they couldn't see. There were teammates and civilians in danger. What would you have done?"

Shiro shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he turned his eyes toward her window.

"Look, if this were a one-time thing, I wouldn't have brought it up. It's your team. You've earned the right to run it the way you see fit. But, I know you're under a lot of stress. I want to make sure you're okay."

"Look, with Sniv sneaking around it's made it a bit difficult to move forward with a certain investigation. But once this case is over, I'll try to figure that out."

Allura nodded. She knew what he was talking about but didn't press the issue with him. "Very well. Try not to let it get personal."

Shiro gave her a quick nod and walked out of the office.

 

Lance gazed at the man who lay in the hospital bed. His wife was by his side. "Gyrgan, is there anything you can tell us about the people who took you?"

"Uh, I don't know. I was blindfolded, and when I did see them they were wearing masks."

Pidge gazed at him. "You were in a van with them after they fitted you with the bomb. How long was the drive to the office building?"

"Fifteen, twenty minutes. But I never saw them."

Lance crossed his arms over his chest. "What about the place you were being held. It could be anything. Something you smelled, maybe heard?"

Gyrgan stared back at Lance. "There was something. Non-stop pounding from outside. Steady like a hammer hitting a nail but much, much louder. I could feel it through my entire body."

Pidge cocked her head over to the side. "Like a construction site, maybe."

"I don't know."

Pidge pulled her phone out of her pocket and brought up a sound effect file as she said. "Something like this?" She pressed play, and the sound was a metallic steady rhythmic pounding.

Gyrgan nodded. "Exactly like that."

Pidge looked over at Lance.

The older man grinned. "That's a hydraulic pile driver." He gazed at Pidge as his smile grew, "We can thank my brother Luis for that. You need a permit for any construction in the city." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and spoke into it as he walked out of the room. "Rax, we may have something."

Pidge leaned forward as she said, "Thank you," to Grygan.

 

Rax and Hunk gazed at Iverson, but Hunk went back to his tablet as Rax started laying out what they knew. "Lance and Pidge have found a way to find the hostages location."

Iverson stared at the huge wall screen as Hunk looked up. "Yeah, the red dots represent construction sites that pulled permits for a hydraulic pile driver today. Gyrgan could hear one operating where he was being held."

Rax nodded. "The hostages must be near one of those sites."

Iverson placed his hands on his hips. "So, let's narrow it down."

"Gyrgan said the drive to Keenan Industries was about twenty minutes, only two of those sites are close enough to fit the timeline." Hunk said as he continued to scroll through the information on his tablet. "I'm searching property records for anything that stands out. And I think I found something." He pressed a button on the wall screen bringing up the image of another building. "There's an old factory five hundred feet from one of the construction sites. It was purchased recently for eight hundred grand. All cash."

Rax turned his head to look into Iverson's face. "That's got to be where they are."

Iverson turned back to the screen. "I'll have Allura pull whatever intel she can find and start a warrant. Just get there." He flicked his hand at them as if shooing a fly.

Rax and Hunk didn't need any more coaxing to move. Both men turned and ran out of the Lion's Den toward the motor pool.

 

Shiro and the rest of the team crept up alongside an outer wall of the building. He stopped and turned his head back to the others. "Go now."

Pidge, Lance, and Hunk moved up to the leading wall and placed some explosive strips on the wall. They raced back to the others.

"Ready," Rax said as he held a small handheld detonator.

Shiro turned his head and said, "Do it."

Rax flipped up the button cover on the detonator as he spoke, "Three, two, one."

As he pressed down on the button, the wall blew, creating a large hole. Shiro and the others stepped through into a room. They moved forward, finding the place where the hostages were held. Only the chairs were empty. Rax turned to Shiro, "This is the room from the video. They were here."

Shiro frowned. "Sweep the rest of the place. Move, move!"

 

Pidge and Hunk walked into a room where two rifles were sitting on a table. Hunk said, "Right side clear."

Pidge nodded, "Left side clear." She turned around, noticing a wooden ladder on the wall that led to a second-story catwalk. She climbed up to try to get a better look at the room.

Hunk began turning when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He shouted, "Ten o'clock," as the suspect fired a gun at Hunk who dodged out of the line of fire.

The suspect's gun jammed and dropped it as he turned and ran. Hunk yelled, "He dropped the gun."

Pidge saw him, and she reached out and grabbed a chain that hung from the ceiling. She pulled on it testing how secure it was and leaped off the catwalk, swinging down and dropping to land on the suspect taking the person down.

Pidge stood up, dragging the other person with a firm grip on the suspect's arms. Pidge reached up and pulled the ski mask from off the suspect's head. Blonde hair fell around the woman's shoulders.

Shiro, Rax, Lance, and Hunk came running up surrounding Pidge and the female suspect.

Rax spoke up. "We found a few tripwires. She must have been rigging the place to blow."

She smirked at Shiro as he asked, "Where are the hostages?" A cell phone started ringing.

The woman said, "You should get that. It's for you."

Shiro reached carefully into her pocket, his fingers wrapping around the cell phone. He pulled it out and pressed the answer symbol.

A female voice came out of the phone. "Sergeant Takashi Shirogane? The officer from Garrison SWAT? I wanted to talk to the officer who's been obstructing me."

Shiro replied, "I'm sorry about that."

"I admire your dedication."

"Alright, you know my name. How about you tell me yours?"

The woman spoke again. "You can call me Morrigan." She giggled.

"You think your funny, Morrigan."

"No, but I think you have a problem."

Shiro looked around until he saw a camera sitting on a box. It's red light flashing. He took a couple of steps toward it.

The woman gasped in a distorted sound and then laughed. "Oh no, you found me."

Shiro glared back. "Let's see how cocky you are when you don't have a mask or camera to hide behind."

"Good luck with that, Sergeant. Sun's getting low. Less than two hours left. Tick… tock. You know, I almost hope they don't pay. It'll be more fun that way." She giggled again.

 

Commander Iverson with Mayor Ghans stood in the boardroom facing the remaining CEO's. "A press conference?" he asked.

One of the men stood presumably the designated spokesman. "All of us together. A united front. We'll tell these terrorists we won't pay."

Iverson let out a small gust of air as he stared back at the man. "Did you not see what happened to Keenan?"

"Keenan didn't pay, and his employee is safe. As far as I can tell, he got off scot-free."

Iverson couldn't believe what he was hearing. "His building notwithstanding. He's lucky SWAT got there in time to ensure nobody died because of his actions."

One of the two female CEOs spoke up behind their spokesman. "Commander, I want more than anything for you to find our employees and make this problem go away. But it's our heads on the chopping block. We need to get out in front of this."

The spokesman added, "We wanted to tell you first, so you could prepare for the fallout."

Mayor Ghans turned her gaze on Iverson. "I'm sorry, I tried to talk them out of it."

Iverson frowned but did the only thing he could say at the moment. "I'll station plain-clothed patrol officers at each of your offices."

 

Shiro and Allura entered the interrogation room. Shiro approached the table. He held a tablet in his hand as he sucked in a breath. "Leigh Balcer. Booked for disorderly conduct for protesting an oil pipeline. You were a theater major. How fitting." He glanced over at Allura.

Shiro turned his gaze back to Leigh as he held out the tablet for the woman to see. "Is that you, Leigh?"

"Don't use that name."

Shiro pulled the tablet back and gazed down at it again. "Let's see, before that, Prep school. Tell me something, how does daddy's little rich girl fall in with these lowlife's," he asked as he stared at her face.

"I renounced my family name three years ago. They're no better than those corporate stooges hiding out in Gedden Pharmaceuticals high-rise right now."

Allura asked. "How are you any different, threatening to kill hardworking men and women for cash?"

"For social change," Leigh replied.

Shiro's eyes turned hard. He wanted no needed to know where the hostages were. "Tell us where the hostages are, Leigh."

"I said, don't use that name. Call me, Gelina."

Shiro glanced at Allura for a minute. "You know you guys are something else with those names and masks. You think we're supposed to take you seriously. You're nothing but trick or treaters with guns."

Leigh scoffed as she smirked back at Shiro. "It's a mistake to underestimate her."

Allura asked, "Who? Morrigan?"

Leigh gazed up at Shiro, "She's chosen."

"Chosen, huh? What like Manson? Koresh? Jim Jones?" Shiro asked. "How'd things, turn out for their followers, Leigh? See, I got another theory. Morrigan is using all of you and convinced you to take the fall for her while she nets millions."

"Honestly, I expected a college grad to be smarter, Leigh," Allura added.

Leigh glared back at Allura. "Don't… use… that… name," she spat out.

Shiro smacked the table with his palm causing Leigh to flinch. "Listen to me," he said as his voice raised with a touch of temper, "tell me where the hostages are, and you're—"

Leigh yelled back cutting him off. "Oh, the hostages, the hostages! It's not about the hostages. It's about cutting the head off the snake."

Shiro straightened up and looked over at Allura. "The CEO's."

Leigh stared back. Realizing she'd screwed up.

 

Iverson rushed into the board room. "The terrorists have targeted you. We need to get you all to safety." He didn't stop until he faced the mayor. Where's your protection detail?"

She moved away from the windows. "In the lobby. Preparing for the press conference. Commander, there's no way anyone could get in here."

The spokesman from earlier rounded on Iverson. "If this is a way to delay the statement…"

Iverson saw a flash from a building across the way from the Pharmaceutical building. "Get down!" he yelled as he grabbed the mayor and threw both her and him down on the floor.

A hail of bullets and shattered glass met their ears along with screams as the CEO's managed to run out of the room.

 

The Black Lion pulled up in front of the Gedden Pharmaceutical building with lights flashing and siren blaring. The lights flickered off the building lighting up the darkness that the lights from the building and streetlights didn't banish. Shiro jumped out of the back first followed by the rest of the team.

Allura's voice came over Shiro's radio. "I just spoke with building security. Shots are coming from the twelfth floor. It's under renovation. They must've used the construction elevator to get up there."

"Roger that," Shiro replied. He turned his next comment to his teammates. "Stay sharp."

 

A security guard ran into the room but fell to the floor. He managed to get to his feet run out of the room, holding his shoulder.

Iverson glanced up, seeing the way was clear. He could see the mayor was scared because of the way her body shook. He whispered into her ear, "All right, your turn. All right you're going to head right through that door okay?"

She nodded and then rose to a crouch low to the floor, trying to make herself as small as possible. Another shot rang out, shattering more glass. Iverson spoke louder, more confident. "You can do this," he said. He waited, and another shot rang out. "Go! Now, Now! Go!" He shouted as he rose and raced after her using his own body to shield the mayor.

Another shot rang out, and she almost stopped as she squealed and almost screamed, but Iverson stayed behind her. "Stay low! Go, go, go!" They continued running and made it out the door.

 

Shiro and the team climbed up the stairs and stopped near the landing of the twelfth floor as a loud bang rang out. "Lights off," Shiro said. "NVG's on."

They all fit their night vision goggles over their eyes. They crept forward onto the twelfth floor. Plastic crinkled as they moved into a maze of tarps.

Shiro held up his hand as light flooded in from openings in the tarps. He raised his night vision goggles as he saw an arm and a gun being held in hand. The rest of the team followed suit. He shouted, "Garrison PD SWAT. Drop your weapon! Drop it now!"

Lance, who stood next to him saw something that he recognized. He shouted, "Hold your fire!"

Shiro glanced over at him, "Lance."

"No! Trust me! Trust me!" Lance replied. "Hold fire! Shiro give me a two."

Shiro moved back a step as Lance stepped past the tarp, with the others following what they saw chilled everyone to their cores. The hostages were tied to support beams with blindfolds and gags in their mouths. Each had a gun tapped in their hands.

Lance spoke up as he went to the woman nearest him with a bracelet on her arm. He quickly removed the blindfold and gag as he spoke. "It's not the terrorists. It's the hostages. Look." As he freed the woman, he asked her, "Are you all right?"

She sobbed as she replied, "Yeah."

Lance looked around. "They wanted us to come in guns blazing killing them all."

Hunk stood next to the rifle that stood on a stand. "It's on remote control."

Shiro turned to Lance. Lance, in turn, held the former hostage. "How'd you know?" Shiro asked.

Lance reached down and touched her bracelet. "It's her bracelet. Her daughter has one just like it."

Shiro replied, "Great eye."

Lance's mouth pulled into a slight smile. "Like you always say, it's in the details."

Shiro glanced around at the rest of the team. Maybe an apology was in order, but he didn't get that far as he saw movement out of his peripheral vision. "Get down!" he shouted.

A stream of machine-gun fire came at them.

"Hunk, Rax, stay with the hostages!" Shiro ordered. "The rest of us move!"

Shiro, Lance, and Pidge rushed through the maze until they found a door. Shiro stepped back as Lance kicked at the locked door. It didn't budge until he kicked it a third time sending it swinging inward on his hinges. As they entered, they found four people on their knees with fingers laced behind their masked heads.

The three SWAT officers surrounded the two women and two men. Shiro said, "Take 'em off."

Lance and Pidge pulled off the ski masks off three of them. Shiro pulled off the mask of the last one and stared into the woman's face. "Morrigan."

 

Iverson stepped up to the Mayor who was pulling her sleeve down of her suit jacket over a bandage on her arm. "How are you doing Mrs. Mayor?"

She let out a slight chuckle. "I've been better. Once again, I find myself in SWAT's debt. If there is anything I can do, name it."

Iverson smiled. "I'll let you know."

Shiro walked down the sidewalk. He raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Iverson and the Mayor, but continued walking.

Allura stepped away from an officer. "Thace and the FBI are investigating connections between Leigh and the original suspect who took his own life. If there are any more terrorists left out there, the Feds will find them."

"Let's hope so. Hey, about earlier, you're checking up on me, I appreciate it. I'm gonna do better," Shiro said.

 

In the Lion's Den Shiro gazed at his team. "Let's debrief." He sucked in a deep breath. "I don't know maybe I should be talking to Colleen about his, but… These last two weeks, I've been tired. I spend the nights replaying the days, trying to figure out ways to improve to avoid anything happening to any of us like what happened to Keith. But, honestly, for me, the wins haven't been making up for the losses lately. And today I took it out on all of you. And for that, I am sorry."

Lance was the first. "We know, and we're always here for you, man." He reached out and wrapped his arms around Shiro. The others quickly joined the group hug.

A soft smile pulled at his mouth.

 

Shiro strode out of headquarters. His phone began ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and held it up to his ear as he said, "Hello?"

A female voice spoke, "Did you enjoy the show? Come now, Sergeant. Surely you didn't think this was over."

Shiro frowned as he gripped his free hand into a fist. "It takes a special type of coward to have your lackeys take the fall for you while you cash in."

Morrigan giggled. "Oh, they were eager to do it. But in the meantime… enjoy the intermission." The phone clicked.


	23. The Castle of Lions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the last chapter along with moving into the new house.

Shiro stood in the doorway to Keith's room. To say he was tired was an understatement. Not only tired, but now that the adrenaline had worn off, his body ached, and a headache began to creep up on him again. His eyes scanned the room, and they fell on another addition. A second bed. He took a step into the room when Adam saw him.

"Takashi," Adam said as he rose from the chair. "I knew you'd come here, so I went and collected some things and had them move a bed in here. You need to relax and decompress after today." His voice lowered, "We saw the explosion. Keith's blood pressure skyrocketed, and they had to give him a sedative." He glanced away for a moment before he added, "Not to mention my own."

Shiro's eyelids closed for a quick few seconds as he took in a breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen."

"You're here now, and that's all that matters besides freeing those hostages. I can't imagine the pressure you've been under," Adam replied. "Now you need to go shower and change. I brought you your night clothes and a mug of some soothing chamomile tea with your medication mixed in. It should still be warm."

"Thank you," Shiro replied as he wrapped his arms around Adam.

 

 

Lance, Hunk Rax, and Pidge stepped into the house they were working on to find painted walls greeting them. "What happened?" Pidge asked as she looked around.

Luis grinned back at her. "We finished the house today. We had a lot of help."

"Who?" Lance asked.

Te-Osh stepped into the room, wiping her hands on a towel. "Hey guys," she smiled at the others.

"How did this happen? The rooms weren't even done yet," Hunk said.

"Oh, that's easy," Te-Osh replied. "I called a friend who owed me some favors, and he called in some friends, and they came over and helped to finish the job today."

Luis chuckled. "Who knew bikers could be so useful."

Te-Osh couldn't stop the giggle that bubbled out of her. "Well, they all weren't just bikers. We had some other help too."

Griffin strode in and looked up from the list. "Hey, guys. I saw what was going on today. That was some crazy shit, you know."

"Yeah, that we do know," Rax replied.

Griffin passed the checklist off to Hunk, who looked down at it. "What's all this?"

"That's all the appliances that are going to be delivered tomorrow for the kitchen," Griffin replied. "You guys are nice enough to let Te-Osh stay here for a while, so I figured you could use these."

"How did you pay for all this stuff?" Hunk asked.

Griffin grinned, "I have my secrets."

Pidge stared at the list, and two and two clicked together. "I knew I'd heard your name before. Your dad is CEO and on the board of directors of Griffin Electronics."

Griffin chuckled. "Guilty as charged. I pulled some strings with dad, and he's donating everything on the list at no charge. Besides, after seeing what went on today, he has a new appreciation of SWAT and why I wanted to be in it."

Hunk couldn't stop the grin that spread over his face. "That's great, man. Tell your dad, thanks."

Luis held up his fist to Lance, who fist-bumped it in return. "Your rooms are painted, too, but let the paint dry. You'll be good to go with moving the furniture in tomorrow."

"Great," Rax said. He turned to grin at the others. "How about we just spend the night here tonight and get started with moving furniture tomorrow."

"Uh," Hunk glanced around at everyone. "What are we going to sleep on?"

Pidge grinned up at him. "I've got that covered. Go check the closet."

Hunk shrugged as he gazed over at Lance, who shrugged back. Both men walked over to the closet, and Hunk opened the door. He grinned when he found several boxes at the bottom. "Air mattresses'. Great idea."

Pidge giggled. "Well, you know with Te-Osh here, I figured we needed something to sleep on."

Rax draped an arm around her shoulders as he gave her a kindly shake. "You do think of everything."

She grinned up at the taller man. "I try."

 

Shiro stepped out of the bathroom. He used a towel to dry his hair and let it hang down around the back of the neck and draped over his shoulders.

"Feeling better?" Adam asked.

"Some, I'm still sore, though," Shiro replied.

Adam frowned at the bruises he saw on Shiro's arms from being thrown down in the explosion earlier in the day. "No doubt. Are you hungry? I could go down to the cafeteria and get you something."

Shiro shook his head. "Not really. I've got something on my mind."

"Takashi, you need to eat," Adam said.

Shiro sighed as he nodded. "Your right."

"Of course I'm right," Adam smirked and strode out of the room.

Keith, who was sitting up, let out a chuckle. "I told him you'd need to be pressured to eat."

"Thanks a lot," Shiro replied as he yanked the towel off the back of his neck and threw it at the younger man.

Kolivan chuckled at the exchange. "You know, you two do act like brothers."

Keith cocked an eyebrow at the older man. "And what is that supposed to be mean?"

"It's a good thing," Kolivan said as he leaned back in his chair. "Shiro, I asked Keith about this. I know your parents were killed in an accident around the time you went into the Marines. What about your grandparents?"

"They passed away when I was younger. My maternal grandmother was the last, and she passed when I was about ten."

Kolivan pat the unoccupied bed beside him. "Come and sit down."

One of Shiro's eyebrows rose as his eyes shifted from Kolivan to Keith and back again. "Why do I get the feeling you two are up to something."

Keith sighed as he stared at the older man. "Do it. It's nothing bad."

Shiro took the steps over to the bed and sat down as he gazed at Kolivan.

Kolivan reached out and took Shiro's hand in his. "From this day forward, Sergeant Takashi Shirogane, I'm adopting you as my grandson."

Shiro's mouth dropped open. "Really?" he managed to get out.

"Yes," Kolivan smiled back at him. "And it's now done, so if you ever need to talk to you can come to me."

"I don't know what to say."

Keith shot him a lopsided grin. "Well, that's new, Shiro, speechless."

Adam entered the doorway while he held a wrapped sandwich. His eyebrows drew together as he glanced at the three men. Finally, he shrugged and entered the room, walking over to the bed. "They were shutting down the cafeteria except for patients and the overnight staff. I was able to grab you a chicken salad sandwich."

"Thank you," Shiro replied as he took the sandwich and unwrapped it. He took a bite and chewed before swallowing.

Kolivan smiled at Adam as the younger man sat down on the side of his bed. "I told Shiro that Keith and I had agreed to adopt Shiro into our family. Although he's too old to do this through official channels unofficially, he's now my grandson. I hope you realize that makes you family too."

Adam nodded, "Yeah, although I don't know Keith as well as Shiro," he said as he glanced at the man in question. "But I'd like to get to know you both better."

"That would be nice," Keith replied.

Shiro finished the last bite of the sandwich and washed it down with the remainder of the tea. "Thank you again, Adam."

"It was nothing," Adam said as he rose from the bed and walked over to the doorway and turned out the main light for the room. The only lights left on were from the TV now showing the eleven o'clock news and the light on the wall behind Keith's bed.

Shiro lay down, but he scooted over, making room for Adam. He rubbed the space beside him. "I feel lost without you here," Shiro said as he gazed up at his spouse.

Adam smiled as he took up the invitation and lay down, placing his head on Shiro's chest, listening to his husband's heartbeat. Adam drew lazy circles over Shiro's exposed chest of the tank top. "I want to adopt a child."

Keith turned his head over toward the pair. "You what?"

"I've been thinking," Adam said to the room in general. "I mentioned it to Shiro earlier. I want us to adopt a child. It doesn't matter if it's a boy or a girl."

"That'd be cool," Keith said as he glanced over at Shiro and Adam. "If it's a girl, I could teach her how to take down a guy and how to protect herself from guys."

Shiro let out a sigh as he glanced over at his brother. "Keith, you won't be teaching her how to do that. I don't want our child to be some aggressive person."

"Who's aggressive?" Keith asked as he growled back.

"You were when you were younger."

"Ha, I was going through a phase," Keith replied. "Besides, I had a lot of teenage angst going on."

"Yeah, I remember. And I remember how hotheaded you were."

Keith couldn't stop the pout that crossed his lips. But then he couldn't stop the smirk that pulled at his mouth. "Just think, you'll be adding to those gray hairs you already have."

Shiro glared back at Keith. "What gray hair?"

Adam reached up to his bangs that stuck out over Shiro's forehead and pulled a couple of strands down. "These gray hairs."

Shiro reached up and grabbed Adam's hand, pulling it away from his hair and dropping it on his chest. He frowned as he couldn't stop Morrigan's words that kept replaying in his head about enjoying the intermission. He glanced at the window seeing his reflection, but beyond, he saw the lights of the city in the darkness.

He turned his head and glanced over at Keith. His brother's face had gone slack, and his eyes were closed. It was as good a time as ever to share with Adam. His voice came out soft and quiet, not wanting to disturb Keith. "I got a couple of phone calls from the leader of the terrorists. She called herself Morrigan, but I'm sure that's an alias."

"A woman? This doesn't sound like a woman would be capable of such callous and cold behavior," Adam replied equally quiet.

Shiro gripped Adam's hand as he held it over his heart. "She's going to strike again. She called me, and she knows my name and who I am." Shiro sucked in a breath. "I don't know what her game is. When I figure that out, I'll be able to put a stop to this game of hers."

He sucked in a breath as he blinked several times. "I'm afraid, Adam. I'm afraid that the next time she might go after the people I love. Like you, Keith, or the team. If anything happens, I don't know what I'd do."

Adam reached up and placed a finger over Shiro's mouth. "Stop. I know you're scared, but now is not the time to think about it. You need to sleep now." Adam rubbed his hand up and down Shiro's arm. "Let the tea work, and just let go."

Shiro closed his eyelids and focused on Adam's touch. It soothed and calmed him as his breathing evened out, and his body relaxed.

 

Hunk woke to a knocking on the front door. He jumped up and raced to the door. As he pulled it open, he saw several men standing outside in front of a big truck. "We've got a delivery," one of the men said.

Hunk nodded, "Yeah, I'll show you the way."

The spokesman turned to one of the others. "Start unloading it."

As Hunk moved through the living room toward the kitchen, he stopped to give the others a quick shake to the shoulder. "Get up, guys. The appliances are here."

Lance groaned as he moved. "Why are they here so early?"

"Stop complaining, Lance," Pidge said as she got up and moved her air mattress out of the way. "While Hunk deals with this, we need to go over to Shiro's and Keith's places to get their stuff from their apartments."

"I hate to mention this, Pidge, but they have alarms on their apartments. So how are we going to get their stuff without setting them off and having to explain it to patrol?" Lance asked.

"I know who might have them. Captain Allura is bound to have them along with spare keys. I mean, she has them for all of us in case of anything happening."

Pidge grinned. "Your right, now who calls her and lets her in on our little surprise?"

Everyone turned and stared at Lance. He gulped as he stared back at them. "Me?" he pointed to himself as his voice squeaked higher than usual.

"Thanks for volunteering," Rax replied as he slapped Lance on the back.

"Wait a minute. I didn't volunteer… I was drafted."

Pidge couldn't stop the grin that spread across her lips. "Payback sucks, don't it, Lance."

"For what?" He glared as he placed his hands firmly on his hips.

"For dragging me to the hospital with you."

"You needed to go," Lance shot back at her.

"I didn't need to see Keith's meltdown, though," Pidge replied as she turned away. "That was hard to see, you know."

Lance lowered his voice. "I know it was."

Pidge's phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and sighed at the caller ID. 'My mom,' she mouthed at the others. "Hey mom," she said as she walked to the opposite side of the room.

"Mom, no mom, I wasn't out with anyone. No, mom." She sighed as she listened to her mother to say something else. "NO! MOM, I am not pregnant! Dammit, listen to me, did dad say anything to you about the house. Yes, the house that my team and I bought. Yes, it's finished, and we're moving, so I'll be coming home to get my stuff and move into my room."

Pidge turned around and smacked herself in the face. "Fine, yes, I'll come over," she sighed. She turned off the cell and smacked herself in the face again and stared at the others. "I have to go home and take a pregnancy test. My dumbass brother told my mom I've been hanging out with some guys and didn't tell her it was my team. When I get my hands on him, he is so dead." She muttered to herself as she stormed out of the house.

Lance stood with his mouth hanging open as the girl rushed out of the house. He couldn't stop himself as the corners of his mouth curved up into a smile, and he burst out laughing. "I can't believe," he got out between laughs, "that Matt pulled that crap on her."

His phone began to ring, and he pulled it out of his pocket and glanced down at it. "It's my mom," he said as he answered. "Hey, mom."

He pulled the phone away from his ear as a woman's shouting voice was heard. "What? What did Luis say?" He shook his ear. "No, no, no. Mamma, Mamma no. I haven't done that. No momma. Luis is wrong." He sighed as he turned to Rax, and he hung up his phone. "Rax, you're going to have to call Allura. I have to go reassure my mother I haven't been doing the horizontal mambo with some Chica from off the street."

Rax turned to Te-Osh, who was now giggling uncontrollably. "This is why I moved from LA. To get away from my family."

She nodded as she continued with her fit of giggles, but she sobered quickly as Rax pulled out his phone and sighed. "I guess we need to get this finished. Would you mind putting away those air mattresses?"

Te-Osh smiled back at him. "No problem at all."

 

Allura hunched over her desk and glared at the pile of paperwork. She rubbed at her temples as she frowned at the mound. A Captain's work is never truly finished, she thought. She needed a break but couldn't decide how to take one without Sniv noticing. The man was a genuine pain. Her cell phone rang in her pocket. As she pulled it out, she glanced down, seeing that the caller was Rax.

"Rax, why are you calling me. You should be taking some downtime." She listened intently as Rax explained the reason for his call. "That sounds wonderful. I'm sure I can find a few strong backs around here to help out."

Allura reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out her keys and unlocked a drawer to her desk. She arrived in and pulled out two sheets of paper and pulled them out. She had apartment keys taped to each along with addresses and alarm codes. She set them on her desk. "I have their keys along with alarm codes here. Do you want me to bring them, or would you like to pick them up?"

She nodded as she listened to Rax. "That sounds like a grand idea. I'll bring you the keys and codes and send Curtis and his team to help. It's no problem at all. I'll see you in a few," she said as she tucked the papers in her jacket pocket and slid her cell phone into her other jacket pocket.

As Allura stepped out of her office and she began to search for Curtis Sniv made his appearance. The balding little man with a long neck and protruding Adam's apple always made her feel as if she'd been slimed. He held some papers in his hands as his beady eyes focused on her. "Captain Allura, I have the latest figures for some budget cuts that need to be made."

"I would love to take a look at them, but I have an important errand to run. Why not go to Commander Iverson over this?"

"He's the one who sent me to you," Sniv replied.

"Well, I can't look at them now. Bring them by my office later," she said as she continued on her way to the motor pool. She caught sight of Coran. "Coran, have you seen Curtis and his team?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, I have. They're busy checking out the Blue Lion."

"Thank you," she said as she continued on her way toward the Blue Lion. She saw Curtis holding a stopwatch as his team jumped out of the Bearcat. "How are they doing?" she asked as she stopped by them.

Curtis turned and smiled at his Captain. "They're doing good, but not as fast as Shiro's team."

"They'll get there. Curtis, I need your team to report to this address. I'm heading there myself," she said as she passed him a slip of paper.

"Captain, is there a reason for all this cloak and dagger stuff going on?"

"I'll explain everything later. Just meet me there and go in your vehicles. I don't want you or your team to be tracked there."

"Yes, Ma'am," Curtis replied as his eyebrow rose in her direction. He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. This was the second time she'd asked him to do something secretive.

 

Allura pulled her car into the driveway of the house and parked beside Hunk's car as a big truck pulled out. She looked up at the home, admiring the rock and windows. The way the roof was designed reminded her of a castle. She walked up the sidewalk toward the door and knocked.

Hunk appeared and opened the door. "Captain?" he asked.

"I talked to Rax earlier and needed to get away from headquarters for a while. Mind if I come in. I have something you need to move the stuff from Shiro and Adam's and Keith's apartments."

Hunk grinned as he stepped backward and allowed her to enter.

She glanced around. "Who's idea was this?"

Hunk rubbed at the back of his head as he glanced away a quick minute before turning his gaze back to her. "Shiro and Adam started it the night we rescued Keith. Pidge decided on this house so we could all live here and still help Keith get better."

Allura clasped her hands together as she gazed back at Hunk. "That's so nice." Her smile was genuine, "I hope he makes a full recovery."

"We do too." Hunk replied.

Allura glanced around, "Where are Pidge and Lance? I didn't see their cars outside."

"They got phone calls from their families and had to return home."

"I hope everything is okay."

Hunk nodded as he pursed his lips together. He hoped that Matt didn't make an appearance at his mothers' house while Pidge was there, or he'd be dead once she got finished with him.

"This is a nice house," Allura replied.

They both heard a couple of cars and a truck pull up from outside. Allura gazed at Hunk. "That should be Curtis' team. They're going to give you some help."

Movement caught her attention from the kitchen as Rax and Te-Osh entered the living room. Allura gazed at her. "Your Te-Osh?" she asked.

"Yes," Te-Osh replied.

"I'm Captain Allura, and Shiro has sent me a couple of texts detailing how you've helped with a sensitive case."

"No, problem. Griffin's a great guy, and Hunk and Rax have been very nice to me," she smiled at the Captain.

"It's good that you know because with Curtis being here now, I have to inform him and his team."

"Oh, boy," Hunk replied.

"Yes, they deserve an explanation." She turned to the door as they heard a knock.

Hunk raced to the door and opened it to find the new team standing on the doorstep. "Come in, come in." He ushered them inside.

Captain Allura focused her attention on Curtis, and the other members of his team formed a semi-circle around her with Griffin sideling up next to Te-Osh. "I should explain to you all what's going on," she started and quickly went through her explanation of how Chief Sanda was on Zarkon's payroll.

Rizavi, Curtis's resident action girl, turned as if she was going to storm out of the house at that moment.

"Rizavi, where do you think you're going?" Curtis asked.

"To arrest Chief Sanda, what else?"

Allura shook her head. "We can't do that yet. We need definitive proof through proper channels. Until then, we lay low and act as though we don't know anything."

Rizavi groaned but joined the others. "This bites."

"I agree," Allura replied. "But right now, I have another assignment for you." She pulled out the papers and handed one to Curtis and the other to Griffin. "These are the keys and codes to Keith and Shiro's apartments. Your assignment is to move everything they have and bring the contents here."

Rizavi grinned, "So we get to see how the others live. That's so cool."

Curtis rolled his eyes at her exuberance. "I'll take Kincaid and Leifsdotter with me to Shiro's. Griffin and Rizavi, you have Keith's."

"And while you all are gone, I'll go shopping for supplies and make us all something to eat when you all get back," Hunk supplied as he grinned at everyone else.

 

A couple of hours later, Hunk returned heavily laden with bags of groceries besides stopping at his parents' house and picking up a couple of folding chairs and his clothes. His parents promised to send the rest of his things later that day.

He entered the house with the groceries and placed them on the kitchen table and went back out to his car and pulled the folding chairs out, and carried them inside. He nodded to Te-osh and handed her a chair. "These are so you and Allura don't have to sit on the floor."

"Thank you, Hunk," Allura replied as she took the other chair. "Do you need any help in the kitchen?"

"Nope, I have everything covered."

 

Two hours later, both Pidge and Lance returned. Both cars were loaded with clothes and everything else from their bedrooms. As they walked inside with their clothes to place in their closets, they stopped to see Allura and Te-Osh having a quiet conversation between themselves.

Allura stood and smiled at them, "Pidge, Lance, so nice to see you both."

"Hey, Captain," Pidge replied. "Anything wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. I drafted Curtis' team to get everything from Shiro and Keith's apartments."

Pidge grinned. "Cool, then this operation is well under control."

Allura couldn't stop the smile that pulled at her mouth. "I couldn't have said it any better. Is everything alright with your families?"

Lance nodded, "Everything's fine at my parents' house."

"If I see my brother anytime soon, he's going to wish he never told tales to my mother," Pidge's amber eyes darkened as she practically growled in her throat. "But we've got thing's to unload, and hopefully, we'll be finished by the time the others get here."

"Te-Osh and I can help," Allura added as she stood.

Te-Osh nodded. "Hunk won't let us help him in the kitchen."

Lance grinned. "That's Hunk. He's an excellent cook."

He and Pidge turned for the stairs as Te-Osh and Allura went out to unload the cars.

 

An hour later, Curtis's team returned with the stuff from Shiro and Adam's apartment. Pidge and Lance joined everyone in unloading the truck. Curtis pulled out a cooler and handed it off to Lance. "This should be taken to the kitchen. We even cleaned out the refrigerator and freezer along with the cabinets."

Lance grinned. "I'm sure Hunk will have some kind use for this stuff."

Not long after, Griffin returned with Rizavi from Keith's. She glanced at everyone. "That was depressing. I thought I'd find a lot of good stuff there, but we had to throw out just about everything in the refrigerator. And he sort of lives like a Spartan, not much of anything."

Lance stepped out of the house and rolled his eyes at her. "Keith's still in the hospital. What were you looking for?"

"Something interesting instead of a few pictures of the team and some old guy."

Lance was getting ready to spout off when Pidge's cell phone rang.

She glanced down at the caller ID. "It's Shiro, everybody shut up or whisper. It might be good news." She brought the phone up to her ear after pressing the phone icon. "Hey, Shiro, what's going on?"

She listened intently as Lance moved up beside her trying to listen in. She shot him a look, still grumpy about her bother. "Okay, yeah, sure. I'll be there. No problem."

She glanced at the others. "Keith's coming home. So I need to grab him some clothes. I don't know how long it'll take, but I certainly hope you all can get this stuff finished."

Griffin reached into his car and pulled out some clothes and a pair of Keith's boots passing them over to Pidge. "Which room is Keith's?" he asked.

"The one painted red, black, and white. Shiro and Adam's room is painted black and white." She gazed around at the controlled chaos going on around her. "I don't know how long this will take, but I will return with them." She moved over to her car, climbing in, and fired up the engine. She put the car into reverse, backing down the drive some and turning her car around and pulling out on the street.

 

It took longer than she expected to get Keith out of the hospital. Shiro insisted on buying a wheelchair, and finally, she pulled into the driveway for their new house with Adam and Shiro following. Pidge stepped out of her vehicle, and with a flourish, she directed their attention to the mansion that sat in front of them. "Welcome to the Castle of Lions."


End file.
